A policed state – higher education quality policies and influences on Asian tourism scholarship

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis paper examines tourism academic policy impacts of higher education subscribing to arbitrary citation impact measures of quality and the consequence towards tourism scholars engaging within intra-Asian mobilities. The research objective is prompted by the lack of insights exploring whether the default academic policies have shaped Asian identities (in a personal and professional capacity), and if such antecedents facilitate or inhibit the pursuit of tourism scholarship. With Asia as a region postulated as a corridor that will likely sustain high growth, it is probable that there is a corresponding increase in terms of tourism scholars interacting with Asia. For this reason, this research seeks to uncover the implicit nature of ethnic academic identities amidst the contemporary higher education frameworks that seek to scrutinise quality outcomes. To achieve the research objectives, intra-Asian tourism academics were shortlisted from a range of Asian countries delivering tourism programmes in English. Each academic was contacted via email in their respective institution, where the research aims were stated, and a personal invitation presented to be part of the sample. As a result, this process derived a total of 22 completed online surveys. The findings showed that very few scholars immediately identified with their ethnic background or nationality. Rather, there was a greater emphasis on career or research expertise. This research further highlights the tensions that exist between one’s ethnic background and the professional expectations and pressures of tourism scholars within a neo-liberal framework of higher education policymaking.