China's Scientific Elite

This book is the first scholarly work on scientists holding China's highest academic honor-membership of the Chinese Academy Sciences. Having carried out extensive systematic data collection of CAS members, Cao examines the social stratification system of the Chinese science community and the way in which politics and political interference has effected the stratification. A close comparison is also made between the stratification system of Western scientific elites, particularly those in the US, and those in the Chinese system. The conclusions are fascinating, not least because one national elite resides in a democratic liberal social system, and the other in an authoritarian social system. Characteristics which the book examines include: Family Background Educational Attainment Mentoring Types of Research Political Participation Social roles as Intellectuals Process of Nomination, Evaluation and Election Perhaps mostimportantly, the book highlights how the recognition and promotion of scientists in China is independent of political, cultural and historical fluctuations. Containing unique interviews with elite scientists, this study will be of interest to researchers in both Asian Studies and Sociology.

Cong Cao is a Research Fellow in the East Asian Institute at the National University of Singapore.