Guanxinetworks and the gatekeeping practices of communication journals in China

Abstract

In China, scholarly journals are affiliated with the particular governing organizations that house them. This process of what can be characterized as danweization has given the editors of these journals almost unchallenged power, prompting the contributors to seek their favor through guanxi networks. Drawing on fieldwork and in-depth interviews with key journal editors in media studies, this paper aims to explore the configuration of guanxi networks, the dynamics of guanxi practice in the gatekeeping process, and the implications of this practice for communication scholarship. We found that guanxi functions as a multi-layered particularism to facilitate the flow of information, to advance the priority of given papers, and to increase the rate at which such papers are published. In consequence, these journals publish a disproportionate number of articles by colleagues from the same sponsoring danwei. The operation of guanxi networks is so entrenched that it raises questions about the integrity of knowledge production and academic autonomy in China.

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