Jinru Huang

Profile

I obtained my Master's degree in Global Development and Education at the University of Leeds in 2018 and have been studying for my doctorate at Leeds POLIS thereafter.

My PhD has a particular focus on the (mis)use of educational accountability in the context of China’s ethnic minority education. Accountability, as a common word and a means to redress misconduct and underperformance in China, plays a regulative role in organising the education for ethnic minorities. By reinforcing the existing top-down power structure, accountability consolidates the Party rule in school.

The education inspection and supervision as well as other school accountability organs catalyse the strict enforcement of education practices and goals, leading to a systemically consistent and firm standpoint on the question of ‘what, how, and for whom to educate’. Since Xi Jinping came to power a trend towards centralisation in policymaking has been evident, with his policies on ethnic and education issues showing a distinctly conservative tendency.

Ethnically, the education in China serves to shape the country’s national identity with the Chinese nation (Zhonghua Minzu) at its core. By integrating all ethnic groups into the concept of the Chinese nation, the cultural identity of China’s ethnic minorities risks being suppressed. In the same vein, the majority rule is reproduced and sustained as a result of adherence to this principle.

The thesis will aim to shed light on this phenomenon, i.e., how education accomplishes the task of nation-building under the duress of accountability. 

Research interests

• Educational Development in the Global South
• Nationalism, and education for Patriotism
• Muslim in China

Qualifications

• MA in Global Development and Education
• BA in Chinese Literature

Research groups and institutes

• Centre for Contemporary Political Theory
• Centre for Global Development