The life and death of liberal studies: Explaining curriculum change in post-handover Hong Kong

This article analyses the history of a secondary school subject in Hong Kong called ‘Liberal Studies’ which was introduced as a compulsory school subject in 2009 and replaced by ‘Citizenship and Social Development’ in 2021. Through an analysis of curriculum guidelines, government publications, media articles, and the extant literature we explain both why it was created and replaced. What emerges is that the subject was both a product and victim of the shifting political climate in post-handover Hong Kong. Its emergence was linked to the post-handover restructuring of the education system, the quest for educational reform and facilitated by a process of referencing global trends and overseas models. Its demise was the result of direct state intervention following the introduction of the National Security Law in 2020. The subject was seen to encourage anti-government protests, have failed to educate patriotic citizens and its replacement justified by reference to the need for national security and nation building. We discuss the relevance of LS with regards to models of curriculum change. Copyright © 2024 The Author(s).