11.3 Grassroots movements and collective action in contemporary China
3 min read•august 9, 2024
Grassroots movements in China tackle diverse issues, from labor rights to environmental protection. Despite government restrictions, activists use innovative tactics and online platforms to mobilize support and push for change.
These movements face significant challenges, including censorship and repression. However, they continue to play a crucial role in shaping civil society and advocating for marginalized groups in contemporary China.
Types of Grassroots Movements
Collective Action and Social Movements
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- involves coordinated efforts by groups to achieve common goals or address shared grievances
- Social movements emerge as organized, sustained campaigns for social or political change
- Typically involve multiple organizations and informal networks
- Often challenge existing power structures or advocate for marginalized groups
- focuses on protecting and promoting civil rights and legal justice
- Includes lawyers, activists, and citizens advocating for constitutional rights
- Addresses issues such as property rights, labor rights, and freedom of expression
- utilizes digital platforms and social media for advocacy and organizing
- Enables rapid information sharing and mobilization of supporters
- Allows for anonymity and broader participation in sensitive political issues
Characteristics and Challenges
- Grassroots movements in China often operate in a restrictive political environment
- Face government surveillance, censorship, and potential repression
- Must navigate complex legal and regulatory frameworks
- Develop innovative tactics to avoid direct confrontation with authorities
- Build coalitions and networks to increase influence and resilience
- Struggle to maintain momentum and achieve long-term goals in face of obstacles
Specific Grassroots Movements
Labor and Environmental Activism
- address workers' rights, wages, and working conditions
- Include strikes, demonstrations, and collective bargaining efforts
- Often target specific factories or industries (electronics manufacturing)
- Challenges include lack of independent trade unions and government restrictions
- Environmental activism focuses on pollution, ecological degradation, and public health
- Campaigns against industrial pollution, waste management issues, and urban air quality
- Utilizes citizen science, public education, and legal advocacy
- Notable successes include halting construction of polluting facilities (paraxylene plants)
Rural and Urban Resistance
- addresses land rights, corruption, and local governance issues
- Involves disputes over land expropriation and compensation
- Utilizes petitioning, , and legal challenges
- Often targets local officials and developers
- encompass a wide range of issues affecting city residents
- Housing rights and property disputes (forced evictions)
- Public transportation and infrastructure concerns
- Education and healthcare access
- NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) movements against unwanted developments
Mobilization and Resistance Mechanisms
Traditional and Digital Mobilization Strategies
- serves as a formal channel for citizens to voice grievances
- Rooted in imperial tradition of appealing to higher authorities
- Involves submitting written complaints to various levels of government
- Often leads to "petitioner villages" in Beijing where activists gather
- refer to large-scale protests, riots, or demonstrations
- Can involve hundreds or thousands of participants
- Often triggered by specific grievances or incidents (industrial accidents, corruption scandals)
- Pose significant challenges for local authorities in maintaining stability
Social Media and Online Organizing
- Social media platforms facilitate rapid information sharing and mobilization
- WeChat, Weibo, and other apps used to coordinate actions and spread awareness
- Hashtag campaigns and viral content amplify messages
- Online organizing techniques include:
- Creating private groups and channels for secure communication
- Using code words and euphemisms to evade censorship
- Leveraging influencers and key opinion leaders to reach wider audiences
- faces ongoing cat-and-mouse game with censors and authorities
- Constant adaptation of tactics to circumvent restrictions
- Risks of surveillance and potential repercussions for online activities
Key Terms to Review (27)
Chai jing: Chai jing refers to a form of grassroots environmental activism and collective action in China, specifically concerning the public's engagement and response to environmental issues, such as pollution and ecological degradation. This movement has emerged from the increasing awareness among citizens about their environmental rights and the impact of industrial development on their health and living conditions. Chai jing highlights the importance of local voices and grassroots efforts in addressing environmental concerns and holding authorities accountable for their actions.
Chinese New Citizens' Movement: The Chinese New Citizens' Movement is a grassroots initiative that seeks to promote civic rights, social justice, and government accountability in contemporary China. It focuses on raising awareness about citizens' rights and pushing for political reforms through peaceful means, often highlighting issues related to urbanization, land rights, and corruption. This movement exemplifies the growing trend of collective action among ordinary citizens in response to social injustices and government policies.
Co-optation: Co-optation is a political strategy where authorities incorporate or absorb dissenting voices, organizations, or movements into the existing power structure to neutralize opposition and maintain control. This tactic often involves offering a seat at the table to potential challengers, thus reducing their capacity to mobilize collective action against the state. By co-opting civil society groups or grassroots movements, the state can manage potential threats and legitimize its authority.
Collective action: Collective action refers to the coordinated efforts of a group of individuals to achieve a common goal, often in the context of social movements or protests. This concept highlights how people come together to address shared grievances and mobilize resources, forming a unified front to enact change or challenge authority. In contemporary China, collective action is significant as it often manifests through grassroots movements that seek to address local issues while navigating the complexities of state control.
Collective Efficacy: Collective efficacy refers to the shared belief in a group's ability to achieve desired outcomes through coordinated efforts. It emphasizes the importance of social cohesion, mutual trust, and collaboration among community members to mobilize resources and take action. This concept is particularly relevant in understanding grassroots movements and collective action in contemporary settings, where communities come together to advocate for social change or address local issues.
Community organizing: Community organizing is a process where individuals come together to identify common goals, mobilize resources, and take collective action to address social issues or improve their community. This practice often involves grassroots movements that empower citizens, fostering collaboration and advocacy to influence local policies and create social change.
Cultural Revolution: The Cultural Revolution was a sociopolitical movement initiated by Mao Zedong in 1966 aimed at reinforcing communist ideology in China by purging remnants of capitalist and traditional elements from Chinese society. This period was marked by widespread chaos, political persecution, and a significant reorganization of Chinese culture, impacting the education system, arts, and social structures.
Digital activism: Digital activism refers to the use of digital tools, especially social media platforms and online communication, to promote social, political, or environmental causes and mobilize individuals for collective action. This modern form of activism has transformed the way people organize, share information, and engage in political discourse, often leading to increased public participation and influence over policy-making.
Environmental Protests: Environmental protests refer to collective actions taken by individuals or groups to express opposition to environmental degradation, government policies, or corporate practices that harm the ecosystem. These movements often aim to raise awareness about environmental issues, advocate for sustainable practices, and hold authorities accountable for their environmental impact. In contemporary settings, such protests can reflect grassroots activism where local communities rally together to confront larger systemic issues affecting their environment.
Guanxi: Guanxi refers to the intricate system of personal connections and relationships that plays a crucial role in Chinese society and politics. It emphasizes the importance of networks, reciprocity, and trust, shaping how individuals and organizations interact and conduct business. Understanding guanxi is vital for analyzing power dynamics, social behavior, and the mechanisms of governance in China.
Harmony discourse: Harmony discourse refers to the ideological framework that promotes social stability and unity within Chinese society, emphasizing the importance of harmony over conflict. This concept is often linked to the idea of maintaining social order and the collective good, suggesting that individual interests should align with societal harmony. It is used by the government to legitimize its policies and suppress dissent by framing any opposition as a threat to social stability.
Labor protests: Labor protests are collective actions taken by workers to express grievances related to working conditions, wages, or labor rights. In contemporary China, these protests are often grassroots movements that arise in response to local issues such as unpaid wages, unsafe working environments, and exploitation by employers, reflecting the broader struggles for workers' rights amidst rapid economic change.
Land Rights Movement: The land rights movement in China refers to a series of grassroots protests and collective actions by farmers and rural residents seeking to reclaim or protect their land from seizure or misappropriation by local governments and private developers. This movement highlights the ongoing struggle over land ownership and use rights in contemporary China, emphasizing the tension between state authority and individual property rights.
Mass incidents: Mass incidents refer to large-scale collective actions or protests in China that often arise from public grievances, social injustice, or government policies. These events can involve thousands of participants and typically manifest as demonstrations, riots, or sit-ins, reflecting grassroots movements that challenge local authorities and demand change.
Networking: Networking refers to the process of establishing and nurturing relationships among individuals or groups to share information, resources, and support. In the context of grassroots movements and collective action, networking plays a critical role in mobilizing citizens, facilitating communication, and fostering solidarity among diverse participants, ultimately enhancing the effectiveness of social movements.
Online activism: Online activism refers to the use of digital platforms, particularly social media, to promote, organize, and advocate for social, political, or environmental causes. This form of activism enables individuals and groups to mobilize support quickly, spread awareness, and engage in collective action without the limitations of geographic boundaries. It has become a crucial tool for grassroots movements, especially in contemporary China, where traditional forms of protest may face heavy censorship and restrictions.
Petitioning system: The petitioning system in China is a formal mechanism that allows citizens to appeal to higher authorities regarding grievances or injustices they face, aiming to seek redress or justice. This system, which dates back to imperial times, is seen as a way for the government to address public concerns and maintain social stability. However, it has evolved into a tool that reflects both grassroots movements and collective action, as well as the challenges faced in human rights and legal protections within the country.
Political Opportunity Structure: Political opportunity structure refers to the external factors that influence the likelihood and success of collective action and grassroots movements. It encompasses aspects such as the political environment, institutional arrangements, and levels of repression or support for activism. These elements shape how individuals and groups mobilize to pursue their goals, making it essential to understand their context in contemporary movements.
Protests: Protests are organized public demonstrations expressing collective dissent or opposition to certain policies, actions, or conditions. In contemporary China, protests reflect a growing awareness and mobilization of grassroots movements that seek to address social injustices, environmental issues, and political grievances, often challenging the state's authority and policies.
Resource mobilization theory: Resource mobilization theory is a sociological framework that focuses on how social movements utilize various resources, such as time, money, and social networks, to achieve their goals. This theory emphasizes the importance of organized efforts and strategic planning in collective action, highlighting that successful movements depend not just on grievances but also on their ability to effectively mobilize resources. It underlines the dynamic interactions between social movements and their environment, particularly in the context of grassroots movements.
Rights Defense Movement: The rights defense movement refers to a collective effort in China, primarily since the late 1990s, aimed at advocating for legal rights and social justice among marginalized groups, including farmers, workers, and activists. This movement is characterized by grassroots organizing and mobilization, often challenging government policies and abuses of power while striving to secure individual and collective rights within the framework of Chinese law.
Rural resistance: Rural resistance refers to the various forms of opposition and protest that emerge from rural communities against state policies or practices that they perceive as unjust or detrimental. This phenomenon is often rooted in issues such as land rights, environmental concerns, and social injustice, leading to collective actions that challenge government authority and seek to assert local interests. Understanding rural resistance sheds light on grassroots movements in contemporary China, highlighting the complex relationship between citizens and the state.
Sit-ins: Sit-ins are a form of nonviolent protest where individuals occupy a space and refuse to leave until their demands are met or they are forcibly removed. This tactic has been widely used in grassroots movements, particularly in contemporary China, as a way for citizens to express dissent and push for social change without resorting to violence.
Social mobilization: Social mobilization refers to the process of engaging and organizing individuals or communities to participate in collective action, often aimed at addressing social issues or advocating for change. This process is essential in grassroots movements as it enables citizens to voice their concerns, form alliances, and push for political and social reforms within their communities, particularly in contexts where traditional avenues for political expression may be limited.
Suppression: Suppression refers to the act of intentionally inhibiting or restricting certain actions, thoughts, or expressions, often through force or coercion. In the context of grassroots movements and collective action in contemporary China, suppression plays a critical role in how the government manages dissent and public mobilization, utilizing a variety of tactics to maintain control over societal and political dynamics. The term underscores the tension between state authority and the aspirations of citizens seeking to express their grievances or pursue social change.
Tiananmen Square Protests: The Tiananmen Square Protests were a series of demonstrations held in Beijing during the spring of 1989, primarily led by students advocating for political reform, freedom of speech, and other democratic rights. The protests escalated over several weeks, culminating in a violent crackdown on June 3-4, when the Chinese government declared martial law and sent in troops to suppress the movement, resulting in significant casualties and global condemnation.
Urban protests: Urban protests refer to organized demonstrations and collective actions that occur in cities, where individuals and groups mobilize to express their grievances, demands, or opposition to governmental policies or social issues. These protests often reflect the struggles of urban populations against issues like corruption, environmental degradation, labor rights, and social justice, playing a crucial role in grassroots movements within contemporary society.