Everyday Democracy: Civil Society, Youth, and the Struggle Against Authoritarian Culture in China

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Anthony J. Spires

Everyday Democracy

Civil Society, Youth, and the Struggle Against Authoritarian Culture in China

Anthony J. Spires

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English

Columbia University Press
10 December 2024

Sociology; Political structures: democracy; Political structures: totalitarianism & dictatorship

Bottom-up voluntary associations, it is commonly thought, are among the fundamental building blocks of democracy, preparing people for engaged citizenship. A great deal of interest in Chinese civil society is premised on the idea that such groups might foster the emergence of democracy. But in a society where virtually all major institutions-from schools to workplaces to government-bear the deep imprint of authoritarian rule, can voluntary associations still spur social and political change?

Everyday Democracy is a groundbreaking study of bottom-up organizations in China, arguing that even in an authoritarian state, they nurture the skills and habits of democracy. Anthony J. Spires offers an in-depth look at two youth-based, youth-led volunteer groups, showing how their values and practices point the way toward the emergence of new, more democratic forms of association. In mainstream Chinese organizational life, even in grassroots civil society groups, hierarchy and autocracy are pervasive. In these groups, however, ideals of equality, mutual respect, and dignity have motivated young people to invent new practices and norms that contrast greatly with typical top-down organizational culture. Drawing on more than a decade of field-based research with a diverse array of participants, Everyday Democracy pinpoints the seeds of a democratic culture inside an authoritarian regime.

By: Anthony J. Spires
Imprint: Columbia University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9780231211505
ISBN 10: 0231211503
Pages: 312
Publication Date: 10 December 2024
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Anthony J. Spires is a sociologist and associate professor at the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Contemporary Chinese Studies. He is the author of Global Civil Society and China (2024).

Reviews for Everyday Democracy: Civil Society, Youth, and the Struggle Against Authoritarian Culture in China

Everyday Democracy provides new ways to understand the ongoing interaction between civil society organizations and both elected and appointed rulers. This alone makes it a ground-breaking contribution and not just for students of Chinese politics. -- Philippe C. Schmitter, professor emeritus, European University Institute Through a close, longitudinal study of China’s youth-led civil society that runs counter to existing analyses, Spires demonstrates that democratic culture is emerging on authoritarian soil, in grassroots groups. This is an important contribution not only to China studies but also to the study of political culture. -- DIana Fu, author of <i>Mobilizing Without the Masses: Control and Contention in China</i>