Get generic type of class at runtime

As others mentioned, it's only possible via reflection in certain circumstances.

If you really need the type, this is the usual (type-safe) workaround pattern:

public class GenericClass<T> {

     private final Class<T> type;

     public GenericClass(Class<T> type) {
          this.type = type;
     }

     public Class<T> getMyType() {
         return this.type;
     }
}

I have seen something like this

private Class<T> persistentClass;

public Constructor() {
    this.persistentClass = (Class<T>) ((ParameterizedType) getClass()
                            .getGenericSuperclass()).getActualTypeArguments()[0];
 }

in the hibernate GenericDataAccessObjects Example

Generics are not reified at run-time. This means the information is not present at run-time.

Adding generics to Java while mantaining backward compatibility was a tour-de-force (you can see the seminal paper about it: Making the future safe for the past: adding genericity to the Java programming language).

There is a rich literature on the subject, and some people are dissatisfied with the current state, some says that actually it's a lure and there is no real need for it. You can read both links, I found them quite interesting.