A Vocation of the Heart: Reflections on Teaching in Contemporary China

China has long been an object of curiousity for Western observers, a fascination that has only grown with the ascent of Deng Xiaoping and the subsequent arrival of China as a top economic power. Based on field research conducted in 2005-6, this book represents an unconventional contribution to our understanding of the social processes that continue to transform that country. It will be of interest of those curious about these transformations as they have played out in the mainland Chinese education system in the post-Mao reform era. Unlike most commentaries on Chinese education, this book is primarily concerned with processes of change from the perspective of Chinese teachers. It aggressively challenges common-sense western understandings of Chinese teachers and learners, holding that Chinese schools, and Chinese society in general, are social spaces that are far more contested than is generally believed. At the same time, it avoids the simplistic conclusion that widespread opposition to reform is evidence of the impending arrival of democracy in any conventional manifestation.