Social Protest and Contentious Authoritarianism in China

Chen, Xi

doi:10.1017/cbo9781139053310

Cited by 99 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 179 publications

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“…However, several recent works argue that authoritarian regimes may expect and welcome substantively narrow protests as a way of enhancing regime stability by identifying, and then dealing with, discontented communities (Dimitrov, 2008;Lorentzen, 2010;Chen, 2012). Chen (2012) argues that small, isolated protests have a long tradition in China and are an expected part of government.…”

Section: Government Intentions and The Purpose Of Censorshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Censorship in China Allows Government Criticism but Silences Collective Expression

2013

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We offer the first large scale, multiple source analysis of the outcome of what may be the most extensive effort to selectively censor human expression ever implemented. To do this, we have devised a system to locate, download, and analyze the content of millions of social media posts originating from nearly 1,400 different social media services all over China before the Chinese government is able to find, evaluate, and censor (i.e., remove from the Internet) the large subset they deem objectionable. Using modern computer-assisted text analytic methods that we adapt to and validate in the Chinese language, we compare the substantive content of posts censored to those not censored over time in each of 85 topic areas. Contrary to previous understandings, posts with negative, even vitriolic, criticism of the state, its leaders, and its policies are not more likely to be censored. Instead, we show that the censorship program is aimed at curtailing collective action by silencing comments that represent, reinforce, or spur social mobilization, regardless of content. Censorship is oriented toward attempting to forestall collective activities that are occurring now or may occur in the future -and, as such, seem to clearly expose government intent. * Our thanks to

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Section: Government Intentions and The Purpose Of Censorshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Censorship in China Allows Government Criticism but Silences Collective Expression

2013

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“…Chen and Dickson 2010;Chen Xi 2012;Wright 2010). Even the rare China scholar who prophesies the impending collapse of the Communist system does not paint a rosy democratic future.…”

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confidence: 99%

The Populist Dream of Chinese Democracy

Perry¹

2015

J of Asian Stud

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Mainstream Chinese discussions of “democracy” have long betrayed a decidedly populist understanding of the concept. Xi Jinping draws freely on this tradition in formulating his China Dream. Xi's efforts are part of the Chinese Communist Party's “re-Orientation” of official propaganda to showcase the glories of the ancient civilization that it claims to represent and rejuvenate. The idea of “democracy” (minzhu民主)—understood in populist rather than institutional terms—plays an important role in the process. This populist interpretation of “democracy” seeks to elide the fundamental contradiction between Enlightenment values and illiberal politics. Whether it will prove persuasive to contemporary Chinese intellectuals remains to be seen.

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“…While the link between social unrests and the regime stability is hardly disputable, whether and how these conflicts can erupt into substantial political dynamics in China is the focus of increasing debate (Chen 2012).…”

Section: A Fragmented Contentious Societymentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond Coercion: The New Politics of Conflict Processing in China

Liu

2017

Chin. Polit. Sci. Rev.

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Coercive capacity matters for keeping stability of authoritarian regime. Yet governing conflict is more than deployment of coercion. State response to contentious politics can be classified by the form of power it uses to direct challenging behaviors. This paper suggests a typology of conflict processing mechanism and uses it to illustrate the diversity of China's domestic security strategy and detect new signs of conflict management beyond coercive actions. The focus is an emerging social engagement approach-a conceptually distinct process through which contentious behavior is transformed by intermediate agencies. Despite its limits in handling large-scale conflicts, this approach of conflict resolution is able to contribute to regime stability from below by demobilizing and depoliticizing local and issue-based contentions.

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Social Protest and Contentious Authoritarianism in China

Cited by 99 publications

References 179 publications

How Censorship in China Allows Government Criticism but Silences Collective Expression

How Censorship in China Allows Government Criticism but Silences Collective Expression

The Populist Dream of Chinese Democracy

Beyond Coercion: The New Politics of Conflict Processing in China

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