Abstract

The study draws on the Bourdieusian theory of capital to examine the way China’s Double First-Class (hereinafter referred to as “DFC”) universities capitalize on the values of foreign language education. Based on the content analysis of the representations of the officially published and accessible websites of 42 DFC universities, this thesis reports on a qualitative inquiry on the multilingual ideologies of China’s foreign language education in the context of China’s increasing global status. Findings show that China’s DFC universities advertise as ideal “glocal capital” providers for students and construct their foreign language education as a medium for achieving the global vision and local values. Findings also reveal the shifting paradigm of China’s foreign language education from previously orienting towards West-European and Anglophone languages to including the languages of peripheral countries in response to China’s socioeconomic transformations and global development. The study highlights the emerging patterns of China’s foreign language education, which is geopolitically motivated but unequally distributed in educational resources. The study is closed with some implications for enhancing China’s foreign language education and cultivating quality language talents for China’s global and local markets.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.