Navigating institutional complexity in Chinese academia: researcher agency, identity, and international collaboration amid geopolitical tensions

Abstract In recent years, international scientific collaboration has become increasingly entangled with geopolitical tensions, especially between China and Western countries. While institutional and policy-level analyses have offered important insights, relatively little is known about how these global dynamics are experienced and navigated by individual researchers within China. Drawing on the analytical lens of institutional complexity and in-depth interviews with scholars in China engaged in international research, this study examines how researchers navigate the often conflicting expectations of national political agendas, organizational performance metrics, and global academic norms. The findings reveal five cross-cutting themes: the growing salience of national imperatives, intensifying organizational pressures, sustained commitment to global scientific values, pragmatic navigation of international collaborations, and perceived misrecognition and emotional tensions. By highlighting the micro-level strategies and adaptation, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of researcher agency under competing institutional logics in a rapidly evolving academic landscape.