The Hybrid Ideals of Chinese Elite Students : An Ethnography

Sammanfattning: The youth of China seems poised to put their mark on our world no matter our projection of the future. They find themselves bridging two civilizations, having their thoughts shaped by a society in which, due to a transformation of unprecedented speed, past and future value systems exist simultaneously, and they know that as China grows stronger in the economic and military sphere, it could be a question of time before it starts wielding some cultural and normative power, making these youths an important force. Surveys on them report of increases in nationalism and individualism as well as a large divide between the 80s-90s generations and their elders, but there is a lack of a more in-depth study of what lies beyond the –isms and these surface statements. In order to fill that gap, this paper presents and discusses data from interviews with Chinese elite students, revealing the heterogeneity and the diverse origins of the ideals they express. At first glance there is much contradiction and confusion in their lifeworlds, but it is here argued that, rather than just being signs of a deep chaos in the ecology of Chinese thought, they represent the emergence of a new marginal way of thinking, bringing forth a collection of more or less successful creative hybrid ideals, which are interesting as a phenomena unto themselves, as well as being possibly significant for the future course of global normativity.