The disenchantment and reconstruction of the “study abroad myth” under the Critical Theory of Adorno’s cultural industry

Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

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Abstract

This study mainly draws on Adorno’s critical theory of cultural industry and uses the method of critical discourse analysis to conduct a qualitative investigation of the discourse of “study abroad myth” in contemporary China. The analysis covers three dimensions: text level, discourse practice, and social and cultural practice. The findings reveal that the “study-abroad myth” is characterized by a standardized yet pseudo- individualized narrative structure. Through mechanisms such as intermediary services, elite university rankings, and curated success stories, overseas education is commodified, constructing an illusory cycle of “demand and satisfaction” while obscuring the ideological logic of educational alienation and the reproduction of cultural capital. At the same time, as “degree devaluation” and employment challenges among returnees emerge, some international students have begun to critically reflect on the dominant myth, reconstructing their self-identities and suggesting potential pathways toward the revaluation of education.