civ soc egzas Flashcards
- In what ways is Hong Kong special, even if it is part of China?
Hong Kong has a semi-democratic regime with relatively well protected, but slowly diminishing civil rights. Also, it acts a lot like a separate country with an exception for foreign affairs and defense related subjects. Since it used to be a British colony until quite recently, British legacy is very important, traditions have been taken over and culture has been affected a lot, many people still have 2 passports (double identity).
- What legacy does the British rule have on Hong Kong’s civil society?
- British encouraged the democratization of HK, there was more freedom and less harsh regulations than in mainland China.
- Soft authoritarian British rule: restricted political activities but provided open socioeconomic space but still want people to live their lives.
- Carrots - active co-option steps taken by the government to get media, individual activists, and organizations on their side. Working together for benefits and good deals, opening more democratic door, and letting people to engage
- Sticks - punishment of those who go against reforms or engage in activities without receiving prior approval.
- Kaifong associations - neighborhood welfare associations. Emerged in Hong Kong after the Second World War to encourage communities to provide cheap/free services to its members.
- What are the basic characteristics of Hong Kong’s civil society?
- Small and medium sized organizations, most have at least some part-time or full-time staff.
- Financially independent from the state: major income sources are membership fees and fundraising.
- Majority of NGOs focus on welfare and provision of social services.
- HK is also a hub for international NGOs that engage in China related activities.
- Despite a window of freedom, small percentage of NGOs declare themselves as ‘advocacy’ groups.
- In recent years – active student/youth movements taking ‘watchdogs’ role and reacting to government’s decisions.
- Competition between pro-Beijing and pro-independence groups.
- For what reasons are there pessimistic voices about the future of free and open civil society in Hong Kong?
- HK is increasingly losing the battle and becoming more like mainland China.
- Mainland China is imposing more and more regulations and restrictions on HK civ soc and freedom.
- Do you feel you can briefly tell the story of Joshua Wong’s activism and the tactics that he and his supporters used to reach their goals?
Joshua Wong first started a student movement against the new education plan, that was very pro-CCP and diminishing HK values as a democratic region. He gathered students that were against this plan, and they started their campaign. At first their tactic was to raise awareness by giving out flyers and speaking into the megaphone on the streets. As this wasn’t that effective, they decided to occupy a park/square in front of the parliament and face the chief executive of HK. Later on, his organization joined the movement against the special security law, then they managed to occupy streets for few months. At the end of the movement, he even went on a hunger strike. This all shows that his tactics are usually very drastic but also very persistent.
- How does authoritarian government (as there is in China) affect civil society?
These days - more spaces for civil society to act and talk more freely but in general getting more and more restricted in other parts:
1. No official database of Chinese civ soc
2. Apolitical, civ soc cannot criticize the state, there are certain forbidden topics.
3. Maintaining social stability has been a key concern and legitimizing discourse for the party in both clamping down on civil society actors and in proceeding at a snail-like pace with improving the regulatory and legal regime (Howell 2011)
4. Either govt-controlled and supervised or banned.
- How is civil society regulated in China?
- Difficult organization registration process - easier to register as a company or a branch, organizations have to be creative to be active.
- High interference of the state in the civ soc sector (Directly - govt-established organizations, govt-appointed staff, Indirectly - financial support, infiltration of government officials, visits from security officers, guidance)
- Banning independent from govt, secretive, democratic, religious, political right-wing organizations, accusing them of disrupting order (Any kind of democracy movements in China end up suppressed, the activists need to run away from China or they are put in jail)
- Control of civil society’s activism strategies (any visible display of dissatisfaction, such as protest)
- One organization per one sector
- Restriction of information (No official database, not showing certain info, The lack of transparency and clear definitions)
- Harsh measurements for political activists (Activists are put to jail (Xu Zhiyong), House arrest)
. What types of civil society activism is encouraged in China
- Govt-led orgs, GONGOs, PONGOs
- Social service organizations - services, welfare, poverty, food healthcare, education
- Volunteering, more in rural areas
- Mass organizations
what types of activism is discouraged?
- Radical protests in the streets that show how bad China is (human rights, discrimination, violence)
- International
- Certain topics: political issues, religion, controversial topics
- Political activism, political advocacy (the case of Liu Xiaobo)
- Democracy movements
- What strategies can civil society organizations use to achieve their goals in China?
- State subcontracting - creating alliances with state institutions and offering them ideas and solutions
- Creating popular concerns and provoking government response
- Online activism - finding supporters on the Internet and mobilizing them to action
- Looking for alternatives while registering
- What is the situation of foreign NGOs in China?
- At first had more freedom, foreign assistance from abroad, foreign funding, could have local experts and activists, interpreted as foreign
- After 2017 “Law of the People’s Republic of China on Administration of Activities of Overseas Nongovernmental Organizations in the Mainland of China” foreign NGOs were started to be treated as local ones
a. After registering need to establish a representative office and seek the approval of govt
b. Regulating activities and making civ soc do things the govt wants - Civ soc in big cities can also have relatively good access to international support
- Intl support is there, but facing difficulties to send support
- Many moved to HK
- What are mass organizations and what role do they play in China?
- tool for CCP to be closer to ppl
- All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU)
a. All labor unions in China, connecting workers (the masses) and govt for communication
b. A way to transmit expectations, plans, to inform workers and listen to them
c. Although ACFTU in theory has to represent workers’ rights and fight for better working conditions, in practice it is much influenced by the party to ensure that workers follow party’s interests - All-China Women’s Federation
a. Voice of all women in China, supporting communism
b. Reaching many citizens and listening to their voices, providing vocational training for women - No critical opinions - claiming that everything is good in China
- What are GONGOs and how are they used in China?
- Looks like civ-soc, but established and controlled by CP
a. Might look separate, but in reality are under CP, with CP staff, can be CP branch - fully controlled by CP
b. Used for communication between the state and ppl, ensure that ppl are following CP demands, follow party’s interests, ensuring harmony - NFTU, ACFTU, All Women’s federation
- Civ soc can be a training ground for CP - becoming better party members
- What role does culture play in successful activism in China?
- The concept of harmony and appreciating peace
- Confucian and Daoist values
- Cultural resonance - incorporating cultural symbols in in their action tactics and framing strategies (Qiaoan 2018)
a. Different ways to talk to people - resonate and understand ppl
b. Chinese people don’t understand certain symbolism of Western culture, so this leads to ppl choosing collaboration techniques rather than shaming and aggressive approach
c. Collectivism
d. Trying something new
- What is special about Japan’s history that had effect on civil society’s formation?
Japan has the best, most peaceful conditions for civ soc (there never was an oppressive regime, after ww2 democracy was established), Americans wrote the constitution (established democratic values, restriction of the military).
- What inspired Japanese people to protest and form social movements in the recent Japanese history?
- Peace and war mvmts after WWII - big trauma after Japanese militarism
- Environmental mvmts 1950s-1970s - victim sentiment
- Strong and capable financially - pressure and responsibility to contribute to global affairs
- Protests against security laws under Abe
What caused revival of Japanese civil society since the second half of the 1990s?
- Anti-military base mvmts in Okinawa
- Natural disasters - Kobe earthquake
- Landfills
- Nuclear power plants
What are strengths of civ soc in Japan
- Emerge from ppl on lower scale - representing position and fighting
- Quick reaction on small local things
- Increasingly good reputation
What are the weaknesses of civ soc in Japan
- Lack of support - low membership
- Lack of funding - govt support is possible if ideas match
- Lack of professional staff - cannot participate in politics, nothing serious
- Ideological view: no long-term establishment, focusing on short-term issues
What kind of aspects of Japanese civil society does the documentary “Gatekeeper” illustrate?
- Small-scale and local organization
- Calm and peaceful
- Community activity
Do you understand what “statism” and “market solutions” mean in relation with Japanese civil society?
- Statism - reliance on government rather than on active citizens in problem solutions, expectations on activism are reduced
- Market solutions - reliance on businesses to provide services and resolve social problems (Large number of business-affiliated associations) (Companies are supporting civ soc financially)
What impact did Kobe earthquake make on Japanese civil society?
- NGOs experience - improve emergency response in the future
- Improved stance and trust of NGOs and volunteers in the government and the whole society
- the disaster provided an opportunity for civil society to demonstrate both its willingness and its capacity to take on a wider range of social roles
- disaster relief became an important voluntary action
enabled small voluntary organizations to be incorporated through authentication when they engage in specified nonprofit activities - Giri concept (indebtedness) - those who were helped are later more likely to help others
When was the birth of Korean Civil Society?
o Late 19th cent - Independence club, enlightenment, March 1st mvmt
o Uprising against Park Chunghee from 60s-80s - fight for democracy
o 1987 with the relaxation of the authoritarian regime and start of democratization - democratization (1987)
What could 19th century Joseon to do with modern civil society?
- 1896 Independence Club – enlightenment movement and self-strengthening
o Goal - to strengthen Korean independence, create a public sphere of cohesion
How did the Japanese colonial period influence early formation of the civil society in Korea?
- Literature club during cultural period of colonialization - poems and other symbolic essays to raise awareness about democratization and freedom
- March 1st mvmt 1919
- 1927 Singanhoe 신간회 New Trunk Association (New life society)
What is the most prominent movement which could be affiliated with civil society during the Japanese colonial period?
- March 1st mvmt 1919 - publicly read independence declarations, written by intellectuals
o People rose for the first time to fight for independence
Is there civil society in North Korea and what are the reasons for that?
- No civ soc - not a single activist civil group (publicly visible) which could promote human rights or democratization * Reasons:
o Everything is in the hand of the govt
o Lack of education - ppl don’t even know that by the constitution they are able to form civic groups - no education, knowledge or information about NGOs
o Concept of civil society among North Koreans is not understood: North Koreans would hardly understand role, function or very existence of non-governmental organizations
o Gathering is against the law
o All organizations are controlled by the worker’s party - serve party’s efforts to penetrate a wider cross-section of population
By law is it possible to have civil society in North Korea?
- By law impossible but ppl still find ways to gather to help each other - economic suffering make ppl rely on each other
What could be the key to successful development of civ soc in Korea?
- Strong resistance to state power
- Democratization
Who embodied civ soc at its evolving period? KOR
- Mostly focusing on urban areas, Seoul - most big mvmts in big cities
What main goals did civic mvmts pursue and how did they change through the years?KOR
- 1960s-1980s - social movements directed against state power, democratization (labor mvm, student protests, minjung movement)
- 1990s - demanding better conditions after democratization, looking into deeper social problems, not only democracy
- Contemporary problems (Vaccine, Halloween, LGBT, teacher strikes, subway conductor strikes, protests against ppl with money)
What purpose was guiding the reunification movements in the 60ties?
- Ppl wanted to see their families in the north - reunification of families
- Hoping for the US help in reunification during Rhee’s precedency
- Communication and exchange between North and South:
How you understand the role of Korean feminism in society?
- Sexual harassment and violence awareness (comfort women, me too)
- Mirroring misogynist language by men (response to male forums)
- Gender fight, double standards and gender inequality awareness (protesting against spy cameras, illegal motel filming)
Why was it hard for women to actively participate in South Korean civic movements?
- For a long time women were not even part of society, let alone civ soc
o Confucian belief that men are working and women are raising children - Split between activism of older and younger activists
Key characteristics of student mvmts. KOR
- Students as watchdogs - moral police, showing what’s right and what’s wrong, criticizing society since very old
- Sunbae-hubae relations:
- Protests every day
