Meritocracy and Cultural Capital

Abstract

This chapter is the second step in linking the philosophical origin and theoretical standpoints of meritocracy to understand the contemporary higher education selection in China. Chapter 2 highlights cultural reproduction through the civil service examination—the Keju in the imperial China. It is argued that cultural reproduction hinges on the continuity of the legitimacy of the Keju examination as a social selection mechanism in imperial China. The Keju selection, which survived drastic political circumstances and shifting dynasties, thus embodied the long-lasting mandate of the feudal ruling. This was achieved, firstly, by associating with the Confucian meritocracy and constantly adjusting the philosophies that were most desirable to the ruling, and secondly, by a resilient social class—the literati who weathered various political struggles and maintained their status in the ancient bureaucracy. Cultural capital in imperial China was not simply socially exclusive but was also regionally divided.