Understanding the Political Culture of Hong Kong
豆瓣
The Paradox of Activism and Depoliticization
Lam Wai-man
简介
This book challenges the widely held belief that Hong Kong's political culture is one of indifference. The term "political indifference" is used to suggest the apathy, naivete, passivity, and utilitarianism of Hong Kong's people toward political life. Taking a broad historical look at political participation in the former colony, Wai-man Lam argues that this is not a valid view and demonstrates Hong Kong's significant political activism in thirteen selected case studies covering 1949 through the present. Through in-depth analysis of these cases she provides a new understanding of the nature of Hong Kong politics, which can be described as a combination of political activism and a culture of depoliticization.
contents
Selected Contents:
List of Tables
List of Abbreviations and Acronyms
Foreword: Hong Kong Political Activism Rediscovered
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Hong Kong-Rethinking Political Activism
1. A Critique of the Claims on Political Indifference
The Traditional Argument of Political Apathy; Surveys on Political Attitudes; A Critique of Siu-kai Lau's Concept of Political Aloofness; Conclusion
2. An Alternative Understanding of Political Participation
A Critique of the Orthodox Definition; Toward a Contextual Understanding of Political Participation; An Informed Definition of Political Participation; Conclusion
3. A Multiple-Case Interpretive Approach
Historical Nature of the Study; Collective Dimension of Public Action; Contextual Understanding of Events; Alternative Interpretation; The Question of Generality; A Multiple-Case Interpretive Approach; Conclusion
4. Rebutting the Minimal Political Participation Claim
A Chronology of Significant Political Events; Statistics and Major Events of Political Participation; A New Comparison of Political Participation; Conclusion
5. Rediscovering Politics: Hong Kong between 1949 and 1959
The Campaign for Rent Control; The Campaign to Change the Marriage Laws; The Tramway Workers' Labor Dispute of 1952; The 1956 Riots; The Campaign to Remove a Marriage Ban on Nurses at the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals; An Overview
6. Rediscovering Politics: Hong Kong in the 1960s
The 1964 Campaign against Telephone Rate Increases; The 1966 Star Ferry Riots; The First Campaign for Chinese as an Official Language; An Overview
7. Rediscovering Politics: Hong Kong in the 1970s
The Campaign for Equal Pay for Nurses; Defend the Diaoyutai Islands Movement of 1970; The Godber Issue; The 1975 Campaign against Telephone Rate Increases; The Campaign to Reopen the Precious Blood Golden Jubilee Secondary School; An Overview
8. Political Discourses and Political Activism
Competing National Identities; Liberalism; Rights and Economic Fairness; Criticisms of Colonialism; Conclusion
9. The Culture of Depoliticization and Political Activism
The Trajectory of the Culture of Depoliticization; The Making of a Depoliticized Culture; Beyond Political Indifference; Conclusion
10. Conclusion
Epilogue
Change of Sovereignty and Limited Electoral Reform; Political Activism; Patterns of Political Participation; The Paradox of Activism and Depoliticization; The Discourse of Political Indifference; Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index