Chapter 11: A “Brand-New” Chinese Model of an International School in Shanghai: Patriotic Marketing and International Education Hegemony

Existing scholarship tends to perceive international schools and international education as existing outside national systems, emphasizing their independence (MacKenzie, 2010; Willis & Enloe, 1990). This tendency resonates with the assumption and ethos underlying such concepts as “third culture kids,” “global nomads,” or “transnational capitalist class,” and the idea that elite international school students cross national borders strategically and effortlessly (Hill, 2007; Langford, 1998; Sklair, 2001; Useem & Downie, 1976). In contrast, this chapter argues that international schools are deeply rooted in local markets and national contexts, while at the same time adhering to a set of naturalized norms and practices of international education. The chapter presents a case study of a unique international school in Shanghai—one run by an elite Chinese local school rather than an expatriate community in China—which has been negotiating local, national, and international spaces in order to survive and thrive in the increasingly competitive marketplace of international schools.