The Discipline of Happiness: The Foucauldian Use of the “Positive Energy” Discourse in China’s Ideological Works

Abstract

One important question about ideological works in China concerns the tension between mobilisation (encouraging public expression) and control (limiting public expression). Recently Xi Jinping’s administration has doubled down on both strategies. To study the rationale of this seemingly self-contradictory move, the authors examine the recently prominent ideological discourse of “positive energy.” Through a combination of online ethnography and discourse analysis using Foucauldian methods, we find that the discourse borrows and evolves from previous ideological works, but most importantly and distinguishably features a more dispersive, rather than centralised power structure. It penetrates popular culture and private lives, and by doing so disciplines people’s subjectivities, rather than only aiming at top-down persuasion or control. The logic of “positive energy” produces self-disciplined docile subjects, and quietly resolves the tension between mobilisation and control by having subjects internalise the interests of the state as their own good.

When positive energy meets satirical feminist backfire: Hashtag activism during the COVID-19 outbreak in China

“…Chen et al, 2020) and to produce docile citizens who internalize the partystate's interest (Z. Chen & Wang, 2019). Positive energy has been incorporated into the Chinese state ideology since 2012 (X.…”

“…Positive energy has been incorporated into the Chinese state ideology since 2012 (X. Chen et al, 2020;Z. Chen & Wang, 2019;P.…”

A Relational Reflection on Pandemic Nationalism

“…Certainly, scholars have observed in recent years how “instead of trying to counter negative criticism”, the Chinese state “reorients the public to the positive” [ 61 ]. Instead of the previous discourse of “suffering” for the greater good of national stability and development, “positive energy” has gradually become a prominent ideological discourse in China and one which was especially accentuated by local actions and initiatives amid the COVID-19 crisis [ 21 ]. State agencies called on the media across all levels to publicize human interest and heartwarming stories related to the pandemic, in order to spread “positive energy” within the country [ 58 ].…”

“…Such emotional anecdotes came to dominate both the news and social media, serving to “veil the harsh realities” [ 8 ]. As Zifeng Chen and Clyde Yicheng Wang note, domestically, the undertones of suffering in a period of positive energy “aim more at creating rally-around-the-flag effects” [ 21 ].…”

Institutional Articulation: Governance Between Family and State in Rural China

“…Standardizing and registering the village welfare funds is important for the local authorities to show that they are doing what they are supposed to be doing, avoid “negative energy,” and get credit for the “positive energy” being generated. The phrase “positive energy” is a floating signifier applied to entities and activities that the party approves of because they are seen as supporting party authority, and vice versa with “negative energy” (Chen & Wang, 2019, pp. 215-216).…”