Environmental protest and civil society in China
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Authors
McCulloch, Megan L.
Subjects
China
environmentalism
social movement theory
civil society
Chinese environment
environmental movements
protest
contentious politics
environmentalism
social movement theory
civil society
Chinese environment
environmental movements
protest
contentious politics
Advisors
Baylouny, Anne
Twomey, Christopher
Date of Issue
2015-09
Date
Sep-15
Publisher
Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
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 thesis 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 thesis 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.
Type
Thesis
Description
Includes supplementary material, available in this record, and at https://calhoun.nps.edu/handle/10945/49302
Series/Report No
Department
National Security Affairs (NSA)
National Security Affairs
Organization
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Funder
Format
Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.