Rightful Resistance in Rural China

by Kevin J. O'Brien , Lianjiang Li

• ISBN13: 9780521861311
• ISBN10: 0521861314
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-02-13
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

How can the poor and weak 'work’ a political system to their advantage? Drawing mainly on interviews and surveys in rural China, Kevin O'Brien and Lianjiang Li show that popular action often hinges on locating and exploiting divisions within the state. Otherwise powerless people use the rhetoric and commitments of the central government to try to fight misconduct by local officials, open up clogged channels of participation, and push back the frontiers of the permissible. This 'rightful resistance’ has far-reaching implications for our understanding of contentious politics. As O'Brien and Li explore the origins, dynamics, and consequences of rightful resistance, they highlight similarities between collective action in places as varied as China, the former East Germany, and the United States, while suggesting how Chinese experiences speak to issues such as opportunities to protest, claims radicalization, tactical innovation, and the outcomes of contention.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
1 RIGHTFUL RESISTANCE	1	(24)
Rightful Resistance in Rural China	5	(10)
Comparative Perspectives	15	(10)
2 OPPORTUNITIES AND PERCEPTIONS	25	(25)
Understanding Opportunities	25	(1)
A Preview of the Argument	26	(1)
A Structural Opening	27	(4)
Crosscurrents: Obstacles to Mobilization	31	(7)
Perceptions of Opportunity	38	(10)
Conclusion	48	(2)
3 BOUNDARY-SPANNING CLAIMS	50	(17)
Unpacking the State	51	(3)
Pressing for Accountability	54	(9)
Payoffs	63	(4)
4 TACTICAL ESCALATION	67	(28)
Three Variants of Direct Action	69	(7)
How New?	76	(1)
How Widespread?	77	(2)
Origins of Direct Tactics	79	(9)
Who Innovates?	88	(3)
Some Implications	91	(4)
5 OUTCOMES	95	(21)
Thinking about Consequences	95	(2)
An Interactive Approach to Outcomes	97	(2)
Consequences of Contention	99	(13)
Understanding Outcomes	112	(2)
A Note on Variation	114	(2)
6 IMPLICATIONS FOR CHINA	116	(15)
Citizenship	116	(7)
Political Change	123	(8)
Interviewee List	131	(4)
Appendix A: Who Leads Rightful Resistance?	135	(4)
Appendix B: Sources	139	(1)
Survey Samplings	139	(1)
Written Materials and Interviews	140	(3)
Bibliography	143	(26)
Index	169