Resistance in Digital China: The Southern Weekly Incident

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By investigating the Southern Weekly Incident, in which censorship of the prominent Chinese newspaper Southern Weekly triggered mass online contention in Chinese society, Resistance in Digital China examines how Chinese people engage in resistance on digital networks whilst cautiously safeguarding their life under authoritarian rule. Chens in-depth analysis of the Southern Weekly Incident ties together overlapping debates in internet studies, Chinese studies, social movement studies, political communication, and cultural studies to discuss issues of civic connectivity, emotions, embodiment, and the construction of a public sphere in digital China. Resistance in Digital China demonstrates a valuable methodology for conducting in-depth empirical examination of an act of resistance in order to explore political, cultural, and sociological meanings of Chinese peoples resistance within party limits. Fruitfully combining 45 interviews with key players in the Southern Weekly Incident with largely Western-based communications theory, Chen develops an understanding of the ongoing formation of the Chinese public sphere as elite-led and emotional, at once invoked and rejected by Chinese citizens.

Reviews

This book brilliantly chronicles the complexity of censorship, protest and journalism in China. The fascinating stories Chen tells have a resonance beyond China and should be read as much by anyone trying to understand protest and conflict in the digital era as it should by anyone trying to understand China. * Tim Jordan, Professor of Digital Cultures, University of Sussex, UK *
This is a unique and excellent book based on first-hand experience and rich interview data. By providing a sustained and in-depth analysis of one single case, Chen offers new insights into the meaning and intricacies of online and offline protest. * Guobin Yang, Grace Lee Boggs Professor of Communication and Sociology, University of Pennsylvania, USA *

Author Bio

Sally Xiaojin Chen is a Lecturer in Journalism at the University of Sussex, UK. Before pursuing her academic research, Chen worked as an investigative journalist for South Media Group in China.