Democratising western research using non-western theories : Rancière and mute Chinese theoretical tools

Because of the growing presence of research students from China in western research education programs, their research might also make an original contribution to knowledge by engaging Chinese languages and theories. While drawing on Rancière's novel conceptualisations of mute speech and democracy, this article is directed at interrupting the tradition of importing French ideas into anglophone educational research, and instead feeds them into creating a dialogue that engages non-western theorising. This article analyses the excess of words used in Chinese research students' theses by the inclusion of Hanzi and/or Pinyin, and suggests a three-dimensional strategy for enhancing their potency as theoretical tools for analysing evidence.