Toxic Academic Culture in East Asia: An update

Abstract

The recent rise of East Asian universities has greatly impressed the academic world. The bubbling and gurgling in the media and literature, however, need to be examined. Unlike the general acknowledgement of the achievements to date, assessment of future development is wide open to debate. Questions still remain about the real potential of East Asian universities, and whether or not they can truly break the bonds of Western hegemony. Will the long historical impact of Western academic models, practices, and orientations on East Asian universities continue? What are the roles played by various contemporary fac-tors in shaping the future of higher education systems in the region? While recognizing the substantial collective progress East Asian societies have made in higher education over the past decades, we should not lose sight of some of the challenges they are facing. One critical factor that has not been as well dis-cussed is how their future success could be undermined by the toxic academic culture currently endemic in the region.