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Revisiting religious higher education in China: comparative analysis of Furen University narratives

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Abstract

Established in the 1920s, Furen University was a private Catholic university in China. Just as in the case of other Christian colleges in modern China, Furen was taken over by the communist government soon after the establishment of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1949 and incorporated into the new state-controlled higher education system. Since the beginning of China’s reform and opening up, Chinese scholars have shown growing interest in exploring the religious history of the country’s pioneering higher education institutions. Focusing on Furen University, this study draws data from various sources to examine critically some popular Furen University narratives proposed by contemporary Chinese scholars in China. These narratives suggest that this Western Catholic university underwent substantial changes during its decades-long operation in Chinese society, becoming more Sinicized, secular, and patriotic. However, our analysis indicates that Furen University’s history in modern China might be more complex than these narratives suggest.

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Notes

  1. From English-language literature, various English translations have been used, including “Catholic University of Peking,” “Fu Ren University” (Chen 2004), “Catholic University” (Fu-jen ta-hsüeh) (Lutz 1971), “Catholic (Fu Jen) University of Peking,” “Fu Jen University” (Paragon 1961), and “Fu Ren Catholic University” (Tao 2009). This study follows Hayhoe (1989) and Arrington (2013) in adopting the translation “Furen University.”.

  2. “History of Fu Jen Catholic University.” Retrieved from https://www.fujen.org. Accessed January 15, 2020.

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Acknowledgements

The study was funded by the International Joint Research Project of the Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University (ICER201908). We are also indebted to Jin Meng for her assistance with the data collection at Beijing Normal University. The authors also appreciate the constructive comments and suggestions from both reviewers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Sciences, Education University of Hong Kong, Ting Kok, Hong Kong, China

    Zhenzhou Zhao

  2. Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

    Yi Sun

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Zhao, Z., Sun, Y. Revisiting religious higher education in China: comparative analysis of Furen University narratives. Asia Pacific Educ. Rev. 21, 629–638 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-020-09645-x

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