A study of the political socialization in a "patriotic" school in Hong Kong

The paper reports a study on the political socialisation of a patriotic (left wing /pro-Beijing) school in Hong Kong. Well before the lowering of the Union Jack on 1 July 1997, there had been a number of leftist secondary schools, which maintained very close relationship with mainland China and rendered habitual support to Beijing government. These patriotic? schools have been relatively very political in nature, as compared with the political tone that featured other schools. The researcher has been allowed to conduct a qualitative research study in one of the patriotic? schools. Beside consulting the written documents and archives of the school, detailed interviews have been conducted with the following parties, namely teachers, students, the principal, the supervisor, past students and parents, so as to know the kind of political socialisation the students received in the school. The paper aims at exploring how students in the school will learn their political knowledge particularly the understanding of political affairs in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the People's Republic of China.