Environmental Activism, Social Media, and Protest in China

Environmental Activism, Social Media, and Protest in China

Author: Elizabeth Brunner

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2019-07-05

Total Pages: 218

ISBN-13: 1793606137

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This book is an in-depth study on the use of social media in environmental activism in China. The author weaves together post-structuralist theory, media theory, social movement theory, and environmental communication studies to analyze concepts such as wild public networks and force majeure in the context of contemporary social movements.


Book Synopsis Environmental Activism, Social Media, and Protest in China by : Elizabeth Brunner

Download or read book Environmental Activism, Social Media, and Protest in China written by Elizabeth Brunner and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2019-07-05 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is an in-depth study on the use of social media in environmental activism in China. The author weaves together post-structuralist theory, media theory, social movement theory, and environmental communication studies to analyze concepts such as wild public networks and force majeure in the context of contemporary social movements.


Environmental Protest and Civil Society in China - Social Media, Environmental Activists, Distance from Beijing, Protests, Internal Migration, Environmental Degradation, NGOs, Communist Party

Environmental Protest and Civil Society in China - Social Media, Environmental Activists, Distance from Beijing, Protests, Internal Migration, Environmental Degradation, NGOs, Communist Party

Author: U. S. Military

Publisher:

Published: 2016-12-17

Total Pages: 125

ISBN-13: 9781520173122

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The leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) appears to have conceded that environmental issues are an area in which people may publicly challenge governmental and commercial actions; however, the movement does not yet appear to have undergone a significant, positive change of scale. This study proposes that, as the environmental movement continues to grow in size and legitimacy, the CCP will continue to co-opt these protests, using them to maintain its political monopoly. Yet, the increased dissemination of information may slowly allow China's civil society to coalesce and reach past local barriers. This research takes a closer look at environmental protests reported over a ten-year timespan, where they occurred, the issues protested, and whether they have affected Chinese society and politics. Due to an inability to access primary sources on Chinese protests, this study covers only some of the broad, macro-level trends visible through the lens of these secondary sources. Nevertheless, it concludes that the number of reported incidents of protest is growing, and their influence is felt throughout civil society.The book takes a closer look at recent environmental protests, where they occurred, the issues protested, and if they have affected Chinese society and politics. Due to an inability to access primary sources on Chinese protests, this study uses secondary sources and Western news accounts. Unfortunately, this introduces an inherent bias to the sample. Because of these limitations, this study will only cover some of the broad, macro-level trends visible through the lens of these sources.To understand the context of environmental activism in China, Chapter II traces the history of Chinese civil society and environmental activism from Mao through the current government. Chapter II will also briefly introduce a few of the key organizations and individuals that are prominent or influential in the Chinese environmental movement. Chapter III will provide a broad overview of environmental street protest trends through qualitative analysis of the collected dataset. Chapter IV will use the qualitative data of Chapter III as a foundation before offering a high-level analysis of the Chinese environmental movement within the larger context of social movement literature. Finally, the conclusion will speculate on the effect of environmental protests on Chinese Civil Society.CHAPTER I - INTRODUCTION * A. CIVIL SOCIETY IN CHINA * B. LITERATURE REVIEW * 1. Social Movement Theory * 2. Environmental Activism and NGOs in China * C. PROBLEMS AND HYPOTHESES * D. METHODS AND OUTLINE * CHAPTER II - CHINESE CIVIL SOCIETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION: 1980-2014 * A. CHINESE CIVIL SOCIETY AND THE EVOLUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS * 1. The Years 1980-1989 * a. Civil Society * b. Environmental Regulations * 2. The Years 1990-1999 * a. Civil Society * b. Environmental Regulations * 3. The Years 2000-2014 * a. Civil Society * b. Environmental Regulations * B. ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND CASE STUDIES * 1. Environmental Activists * a. Environmental Non-government Organizations * b. Online Activists * 2. A Case Study * C. CONCLUSION * CHAPTER III - ENVIRONMENTAL PROTEST IN CHINA: BY THE NUMBERS * A. OVERARCHING TRENDS IN CHINESE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTESTS * 1. Data Characteristics * 2. Data Trends * B. PROTESTS IN COMPARISON TO DEMOGRAPHIC AND ECONOMIC DATA * 1. Distance from Beijing (Political Control) * 2. Internal Migration * 3. Levels of Environmental Degradation * 4. Economic Explanations * C. CONCLUSION * CHAPTER IV - CHINA'S ENVIRONMENTAL PROTESTS, FOLLOWING THE PATTERN * A. SOCIAL MOVEMENT THEORY WITH CHINESE CHARACTERISTICS * B. CHINA'S GROWING ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT


Book Synopsis Environmental Protest and Civil Society in China - Social Media, Environmental Activists, Distance from Beijing, Protests, Internal Migration, Environmental Degradation, NGOs, Communist Party by : U. S. Military

Download or read book Environmental Protest and Civil Society in China - Social Media, Environmental Activists, Distance from Beijing, Protests, Internal Migration, Environmental Degradation, NGOs, Communist Party written by U. S. Military and published by . This book was released on 2016-12-17 with total page 125 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) appears to have conceded that environmental issues are an area in which people may publicly challenge governmental and commercial actions; however, the movement does not yet appear to have undergone a significant, positive change of scale. This study proposes that, as the environmental movement continues to grow in size and legitimacy, the CCP will continue to co-opt these protests, using them to maintain its political monopoly. Yet, the increased dissemination of information may slowly allow China's civil society to coalesce and reach past local barriers. This research takes a closer look at environmental protests reported over a ten-year timespan, where they occurred, the issues protested, and whether they have affected Chinese society and politics. Due to an inability to access primary sources on Chinese protests, this study covers only some of the broad, macro-level trends visible through the lens of these secondary sources. Nevertheless, it concludes that the number of reported incidents of protest is growing, and their influence is felt throughout civil society.The book takes a closer look at recent environmental protests, where they occurred, the issues protested, and if they have affected Chinese society and politics. Due to an inability to access primary sources on Chinese protests, this study uses secondary sources and Western news accounts. Unfortunately, this introduces an inherent bias to the sample. Because of these limitations, this study will only cover some of the broad, macro-level trends visible through the lens of these sources.To understand the context of environmental activism in China, Chapter II traces the history of Chinese civil society and environmental activism from Mao through the current government. Chapter II will also briefly introduce a few of the key organizations and individuals that are prominent or influential in the Chinese environmental movement. Chapter III will provide a broad overview of environmental street protest trends through qualitative analysis of the collected dataset. Chapter IV will use the qualitative data of Chapter III as a foundation before offering a high-level analysis of the Chinese environmental movement within the larger context of social movement literature. Finally, the conclusion will speculate on the effect of environmental protests on Chinese Civil Society.CHAPTER I - INTRODUCTION * A. CIVIL SOCIETY IN CHINA * B. LITERATURE REVIEW * 1. Social Movement Theory * 2. Environmental Activism and NGOs in China * C. PROBLEMS AND HYPOTHESES * D. METHODS AND OUTLINE * CHAPTER II - CHINESE CIVIL SOCIETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION: 1980-2014 * A. CHINESE CIVIL SOCIETY AND THE EVOLUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS * 1. The Years 1980-1989 * a. Civil Society * b. Environmental Regulations * 2. The Years 1990-1999 * a. Civil Society * b. Environmental Regulations * 3. The Years 2000-2014 * a. Civil Society * b. Environmental Regulations * B. ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND CASE STUDIES * 1. Environmental Activists * a. Environmental Non-government Organizations * b. Online Activists * 2. A Case Study * C. CONCLUSION * CHAPTER III - ENVIRONMENTAL PROTEST IN CHINA: BY THE NUMBERS * A. OVERARCHING TRENDS IN CHINESE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTESTS * 1. Data Characteristics * 2. Data Trends * B. PROTESTS IN COMPARISON TO DEMOGRAPHIC AND ECONOMIC DATA * 1. Distance from Beijing (Political Control) * 2. Internal Migration * 3. Levels of Environmental Degradation * 4. Economic Explanations * C. CONCLUSION * CHAPTER IV - CHINA'S ENVIRONMENTAL PROTESTS, FOLLOWING THE PATTERN * A. SOCIAL MOVEMENT THEORY WITH CHINESE CHARACTERISTICS * B. CHINA'S GROWING ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT


Environmental Activism in China

Environmental Activism in China

Author: Lei Xie

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2012-08-06

Total Pages: 231

ISBN-13: 1134020260

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Major environmental degradation is a serious problem for China as the country's economy continues to grow at a phenomenal pace. In recent years environmental organisations have begun to emerge in China, and in some cases have had remarkable success in affecting policies which would have had significant adverse impacts on the environment. This book, based on extensive original research, adopts a multi-disciplinary research approach to examine environmental activism in China, focusing on four cities. It analyses the nature, characteristics, strategies, organizational modes and influence of what could be labeled a Chinese environmental movement in-the-making. In particular, this volume highlights the specificities of Chinese environmental activism in an increasingly globalizing world, along with a comparison to the environmental movement in Western Europe and North America.


Book Synopsis Environmental Activism in China by : Lei Xie

Download or read book Environmental Activism in China written by Lei Xie and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012-08-06 with total page 231 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Major environmental degradation is a serious problem for China as the country's economy continues to grow at a phenomenal pace. In recent years environmental organisations have begun to emerge in China, and in some cases have had remarkable success in affecting policies which would have had significant adverse impacts on the environment. This book, based on extensive original research, adopts a multi-disciplinary research approach to examine environmental activism in China, focusing on four cities. It analyses the nature, characteristics, strategies, organizational modes and influence of what could be labeled a Chinese environmental movement in-the-making. In particular, this volume highlights the specificities of Chinese environmental activism in an increasingly globalizing world, along with a comparison to the environmental movement in Western Europe and North America.


China's Embedded Activism

China's Embedded Activism

Author: Peter Ho

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2007-10-19

Total Pages: 367

ISBN-13: 1134080530

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In recent years China has been remarkable in achieving extraordinary economic transformation, yet without fundamental political change. To many observers this would seem to imply a weakness in Chinese civil society. However, though the idea of democracy as multitudes of citizens taking to the streets may be attractive, it is simultaneously misleading as it disregards the nature of political change taking place in China today: a gradual shift towards a polity adapted to a pluralist society. At the same time, one may wonder what the limited political space implies for the development of a social movement in China. This book explores this question by focusing on one of the most active areas of Chinese civil society: the environment. China’s Embedded Activism argues that China’s semi-authoritarian limitations on the freedom of association and speech, coupled with increased social spaces for civic action has created a milieu in which activism occurs in an embedded fashion. The semi-authoritarian atmosphere is restrictive of, but paradoxically, also conducive to nationwide, collective action with less risk of social instability and repression at the hand of the governing elite. Rich in case studies about environmental civic organizations in China, and written by a team of international experts on social movements, NGOs, democratization, and civil society, this book addresses a wide readership of students, scholars and professionals interested in development, geography and environment, political change, and contemporary Chinese society.


Book Synopsis China's Embedded Activism by : Peter Ho

Download or read book China's Embedded Activism written by Peter Ho and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2007-10-19 with total page 367 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In recent years China has been remarkable in achieving extraordinary economic transformation, yet without fundamental political change. To many observers this would seem to imply a weakness in Chinese civil society. However, though the idea of democracy as multitudes of citizens taking to the streets may be attractive, it is simultaneously misleading as it disregards the nature of political change taking place in China today: a gradual shift towards a polity adapted to a pluralist society. At the same time, one may wonder what the limited political space implies for the development of a social movement in China. This book explores this question by focusing on one of the most active areas of Chinese civil society: the environment. China’s Embedded Activism argues that China’s semi-authoritarian limitations on the freedom of association and speech, coupled with increased social spaces for civic action has created a milieu in which activism occurs in an embedded fashion. The semi-authoritarian atmosphere is restrictive of, but paradoxically, also conducive to nationwide, collective action with less risk of social instability and repression at the hand of the governing elite. Rich in case studies about environmental civic organizations in China, and written by a team of international experts on social movements, NGOs, democratization, and civil society, this book addresses a wide readership of students, scholars and professionals interested in development, geography and environment, political change, and contemporary Chinese society.


Urban Mobilizations and New Media in Contemporary China

Urban Mobilizations and New Media in Contemporary China

Author: Lisheng Dong

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-03-09

Total Pages: 212

ISBN-13: 1317003691

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Popular protests are on the rise in China. However, since protesters rely on existing channels of participation and on patronage by elite backers, the state has been able to stymie attempts to generalize resistance and no large scale political movements have significantly challenged party rule. Yet the Chinese state is not monolithic. Decentralization has increased the power of local authorities, creating space for policy innovations and opening up the political opportunity structure. Popular protest in China - particularly in urban realm- not only benefits from the political fragmentation of the state, but also from the political communications revolution. The question of how and to what extent the internet can be used for mobilizing popular resistance in China is hotly debated. The government, virtual social organizations, and individual netizens both cooperate and compete with each other on the web. New media both increases the scope of the mobilizers and the mobilized (thereby creating new social capital), and provides the government with new means of social control (thereby limiting the political impact of the growing social capital). This volume is the first of its kind to assess the ways new media influence the mobilization of popular resistance and its possible effects in China today.


Book Synopsis Urban Mobilizations and New Media in Contemporary China by : Lisheng Dong

Download or read book Urban Mobilizations and New Media in Contemporary China written by Lisheng Dong and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-03-09 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Popular protests are on the rise in China. However, since protesters rely on existing channels of participation and on patronage by elite backers, the state has been able to stymie attempts to generalize resistance and no large scale political movements have significantly challenged party rule. Yet the Chinese state is not monolithic. Decentralization has increased the power of local authorities, creating space for policy innovations and opening up the political opportunity structure. Popular protest in China - particularly in urban realm- not only benefits from the political fragmentation of the state, but also from the political communications revolution. The question of how and to what extent the internet can be used for mobilizing popular resistance in China is hotly debated. The government, virtual social organizations, and individual netizens both cooperate and compete with each other on the web. New media both increases the scope of the mobilizers and the mobilized (thereby creating new social capital), and provides the government with new means of social control (thereby limiting the political impact of the growing social capital). This volume is the first of its kind to assess the ways new media influence the mobilization of popular resistance and its possible effects in China today.


Social Media Materialities and Protest

Social Media Materialities and Protest

Author: Mette Mortensen

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-12-19

Total Pages: 164

ISBN-13: 1351605976

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Far from being neutral, social media platforms – such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and WeChat – possess their own material characteristics, which shape how people engage, protest, resist, and struggle. This innovative collection advances the notion of social media materialities to draw attention to the ways in which the wires and silicon, data streams and algorithms, user and programming interfaces, business models and terms of service steer contentious practices and, inversely, how technologies and economic models are handled and performed by users. The key question is how the tension between social media’s techno-commercial infrastructures and activist agency plays out in protest. Addressing this, the volume goes beyond singular empirical examples and focuses on the characteristics of protest and social media materialities, offering further conceptualizations and guidance for this emerging field of research. The various contributions explore a wide variety of activist projects, protests, and regions, ranging from Occupy in the USA to environmental protests in China, and from the Mexican Barrio Nómada to the Copenhagen-based activist television channel TV Stop (1987–2005).


Book Synopsis Social Media Materialities and Protest by : Mette Mortensen

Download or read book Social Media Materialities and Protest written by Mette Mortensen and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-12-19 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Far from being neutral, social media platforms – such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and WeChat – possess their own material characteristics, which shape how people engage, protest, resist, and struggle. This innovative collection advances the notion of social media materialities to draw attention to the ways in which the wires and silicon, data streams and algorithms, user and programming interfaces, business models and terms of service steer contentious practices and, inversely, how technologies and economic models are handled and performed by users. The key question is how the tension between social media’s techno-commercial infrastructures and activist agency plays out in protest. Addressing this, the volume goes beyond singular empirical examples and focuses on the characteristics of protest and social media materialities, offering further conceptualizations and guidance for this emerging field of research. The various contributions explore a wide variety of activist projects, protests, and regions, ranging from Occupy in the USA to environmental protests in China, and from the Mexican Barrio Nómada to the Copenhagen-based activist television channel TV Stop (1987–2005).


Popular Protest in China

Popular Protest in China

Author: Kevin J O'Brien

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 2009-06-30

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 0674041585

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Unrest in China, from the dramatic events of 1989 to more recent stirrings, offers a rare opportunity to consider how popular contention unfolds in places where speech and assembly are tightly controlled. The contributors to this volume argue that ideas inspired by social movements elsewhere can help explain popular protest in China.


Book Synopsis Popular Protest in China by : Kevin J O'Brien

Download or read book Popular Protest in China written by Kevin J O'Brien and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2009-06-30 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Unrest in China, from the dramatic events of 1989 to more recent stirrings, offers a rare opportunity to consider how popular contention unfolds in places where speech and assembly are tightly controlled. The contributors to this volume argue that ideas inspired by social movements elsewhere can help explain popular protest in China.


Affective Publics

Affective Publics

Author: Zizi Papacharissi

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 173

ISBN-13: 0199999732

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Over the past few decades, we have witnessed the growth of movements using digital means to connect with broader interest groups and express their points of view. These movements emerge out of distinct contexts and yield different outcomes, but tend to share one thing in common: online and offline solidarity shaped around the public display of emotion. Social media facilitate feelings of engagement, in ways that frequently make people feel re-energized about politics. In doing so, media do not make or break revolutions but they do lend emerging, storytelling publics their own means for feeling their way into events, frequently by making those involved a part of the developing story. Technologies network us but it is our stories that connect us to each other, making us feel close to some and distancing us from others. Affective Publics explores how storytelling practices facilitate engagement among movements tuning into a current issue or event by employing three case studies: Arab Spring movements, various iterations of Occupy, and everyday casual political expressions as traced through the archives of trending topics on Twitter. It traces how affective publics materialize and disband around connective conduits of sentiment every day and find their voice through the soft structures of feeling sustained by societies. Using original quantitative and qualitative data, Affective Publics demonstrates, in this groundbreaking analysis, that it is through these soft structures that affective publics connect, disrupt, and feel their way into everyday politics.


Book Synopsis Affective Publics by : Zizi Papacharissi

Download or read book Affective Publics written by Zizi Papacharissi and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2015 with total page 173 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the past few decades, we have witnessed the growth of movements using digital means to connect with broader interest groups and express their points of view. These movements emerge out of distinct contexts and yield different outcomes, but tend to share one thing in common: online and offline solidarity shaped around the public display of emotion. Social media facilitate feelings of engagement, in ways that frequently make people feel re-energized about politics. In doing so, media do not make or break revolutions but they do lend emerging, storytelling publics their own means for feeling their way into events, frequently by making those involved a part of the developing story. Technologies network us but it is our stories that connect us to each other, making us feel close to some and distancing us from others. Affective Publics explores how storytelling practices facilitate engagement among movements tuning into a current issue or event by employing three case studies: Arab Spring movements, various iterations of Occupy, and everyday casual political expressions as traced through the archives of trending topics on Twitter. It traces how affective publics materialize and disband around connective conduits of sentiment every day and find their voice through the soft structures of feeling sustained by societies. Using original quantitative and qualitative data, Affective Publics demonstrates, in this groundbreaking analysis, that it is through these soft structures that affective publics connect, disrupt, and feel their way into everyday politics.


Nimby Is Beautiful

Nimby Is Beautiful

Author: Carol Hager

Publisher: Berghahn Books

Published: 2015-03-01

Total Pages: 236

ISBN-13: 1782386025

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NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) protests are often criticized as parochial and short-lived, generating no lasting influence on broader processes related to environmental politics. This volume offers a different perspective. Drawing on cases from around the globe, it demonstrates that NIMBY protests, although always arising from a local concern in a particular community, often result in broader political, social, and technological change. Chapters include cases from Europe, North America, and Asia, engaging with the full political spectrum from established democracies to non-democratic countries. Regardless of political setting, NIMBY movements can have a positive and proactive role in generating innovative solutions to local as well as transnational environmental issues. Furthermore, those solutions are now serving as models for communities and countries around the world.


Book Synopsis Nimby Is Beautiful by : Carol Hager

Download or read book Nimby Is Beautiful written by Carol Hager and published by Berghahn Books. This book was released on 2015-03-01 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) protests are often criticized as parochial and short-lived, generating no lasting influence on broader processes related to environmental politics. This volume offers a different perspective. Drawing on cases from around the globe, it demonstrates that NIMBY protests, although always arising from a local concern in a particular community, often result in broader political, social, and technological change. Chapters include cases from Europe, North America, and Asia, engaging with the full political spectrum from established democracies to non-democratic countries. Regardless of political setting, NIMBY movements can have a positive and proactive role in generating innovative solutions to local as well as transnational environmental issues. Furthermore, those solutions are now serving as models for communities and countries around the world.


Resigned Activism

Resigned Activism

Author: Anna Lora-Wainwright

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2017-06-16

Total Pages: 271

ISBN-13: 0262341107

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An examination of the daily grind of living with pollution in rural China and of the varying forms of activism that develop in response. Residents of rapidly industrializing rural areas in China live with pollution every day. Villagers drink obviously tainted water and breathe visibly dirty air, afflicted by a variety of ailments—from arthritis to nosebleeds—that they ascribe to the effects of industrial pollution. “Cancer villages,” village-sized clusters of high cancer incidence, have emerged as a political and cultural phenomenon. In Resigned Activism, Anna Lora-Wainwright explores the daily grind of living with pollution in rural China and the varying forms of activism that develop in response. She finds that claims of health or environmental damage are politically sensitive, and that efforts to seek redress are frustrated by limited access to scientific evidence, growing socioeconomic inequalities, and complex local realities. Villagers, feeling powerless, often come to accept pollution as part of the environment; their activism is tempered by their resignation. Lora-Wainwright uses the term “resigned activism” as a lens through which to view villagers' perceptions and the diverse forms of environmental engagement that result. These range from picketing at the factory gate to quieter individual or family-oriented actions. Lora-Wainwright offers three case studies of “resigned activism” in rural China, examining the experiences of villagers who live with the effects of phosphorous mining and fertilizer production, lead and zinc mining, and electronic waste processing. These cases make clear the staggering human costs of development and the deeply uneven distribution of costs and benefits that underlie China's economic power.


Book Synopsis Resigned Activism by : Anna Lora-Wainwright

Download or read book Resigned Activism written by Anna Lora-Wainwright and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2017-06-16 with total page 271 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An examination of the daily grind of living with pollution in rural China and of the varying forms of activism that develop in response. Residents of rapidly industrializing rural areas in China live with pollution every day. Villagers drink obviously tainted water and breathe visibly dirty air, afflicted by a variety of ailments—from arthritis to nosebleeds—that they ascribe to the effects of industrial pollution. “Cancer villages,” village-sized clusters of high cancer incidence, have emerged as a political and cultural phenomenon. In Resigned Activism, Anna Lora-Wainwright explores the daily grind of living with pollution in rural China and the varying forms of activism that develop in response. She finds that claims of health or environmental damage are politically sensitive, and that efforts to seek redress are frustrated by limited access to scientific evidence, growing socioeconomic inequalities, and complex local realities. Villagers, feeling powerless, often come to accept pollution as part of the environment; their activism is tempered by their resignation. Lora-Wainwright uses the term “resigned activism” as a lens through which to view villagers' perceptions and the diverse forms of environmental engagement that result. These range from picketing at the factory gate to quieter individual or family-oriented actions. Lora-Wainwright offers three case studies of “resigned activism” in rural China, examining the experiences of villagers who live with the effects of phosphorous mining and fertilizer production, lead and zinc mining, and electronic waste processing. These cases make clear the staggering human costs of development and the deeply uneven distribution of costs and benefits that underlie China's economic power.