arbiter
JournalsAccount

From political legacy to academic field: the evolution and construction of the knowledge ecology of China’s revolutionary heritage discourse

Linan Zhang et al.

Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication2026https://doi.org/10.1108/gkmc-09-2025-0661article
ABDC B
Weight
0.50

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to investigate the construction and evolution of the academic field surrounding China’s revolutionary heritage (HCRP), revealing the mechanisms through which a state-driven political concept transforms into an institutionalized domain of knowledge. Design/methodology/approach A computational discourse analysis, integrating dynamic topic models and complex network analysis, was performed on a corpus of 1,154 articles from Chinese core journals spanning from 2005 to 2023. Findings This study reveals a clear three-stage evolution: from ideological legitimation (2005–2016), through agenda expansion (2017–2020), to technical-managerial specialization (2021–2023). The field’s knowledge structure consolidated over time, shaped by a dual mechanism: the external force of state power providing stability via ideological “structural anchors” and the internal logic of academia driving thematic diversification. Originality/value This study offers a novel, dynamic framework for analyzing state-driven knowledge production. By computationally mapping the entire life cycle of an academic field from its political origins, it provides a replicable methodology for critical heritage studies and the sociology of knowledge, moving beyond traditional static or qualitative analyses.

Open via your library →

Cite this paper

https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1108/gkmc-09-2025-0661

Or copy a formatted citation

@article{linan2026,
  title        = {{From political legacy to academic field: the evolution and construction of the knowledge ecology of China’s revolutionary heritage discourse}},
  author       = {Linan Zhang et al.},
  journal      = {Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1108/gkmc-09-2025-0661},
}

Paste directly into BibTeX, Zotero, or your reference manager.

Flag this paper

From political legacy to academic field: the evolution and construction of the knowledge ecology of China’s revolutionary heritage discourse

Flags are reviewed by the Arbiter methodology team within 5 business days.

Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.