Abstract

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Title:: “Director-level Professors”: A Sociological Study on Time Management of Shuangjian Tiao Professors in Chinese Universities

Keywords:: director; professor; shuangjian tiao; sociology of time; self-identity

Abstract:: Doing administrative and academic work well at the same time is the proper meaning of the so-called shuangjian tiao(literally both shoulders carrying burdens)position in Chinese universities. But this type of double appointments has also brought about a dilemma. Based on the interviews with 8 individuals with shuangjian tiao appointments, this paper fits a typical virtual case of Professor Tong with both administrative and academic appointments(i.e., a shuangjian tiao professor), and focuses on how such individuals allocate time as scarce resources in the competition between administrative work and academic activities from the perspective of time sociology. It is found that against the background of the increase in both the workload and the difficulty in university management, individuals with shuangjian tiao appointments show a tendency of “strong administration-weak academic work” in their performance, and it is difficult for them to maintain the self-identity in the conflict between academic ideals and administrative reality. In social communication, the combined identity, referred to as “director-level professors” by the interviewees, is easier to be recognized and can bring them some practical advantages.