Becoming Activists in Global China
Social Movements in the Chinese Diaspora

Presents an empirically and theoretically rich sociological study of two Chinese diaspora protest movements: Falun Gong and the Chinese democracy movement.

Andrew Junker (Author)

9781108716017, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 14 April 2022

230 pages, 10 b/w illus. 4 tables
22.8 x 15.2 x 1.5 cm, 0.4 kg

'The book is methodologically solid, empirically nuanced, and theoretically provocative. Each page is an intellectually rewarding experience.' Rongbin Han, Mobilization

Becoming Activists in Global China is the first purely sociological study of the religious movement Falun Gong and its resistance to the Chinese state. The literature on Chinese protest has intensively studied the 1989 democracy movement while largely ignoring opposition by Falun Gong, even though the latter has been more enduring. This comparative study explains why the Falun Gong protest took off in diaspora and the democracy movement did not. Using multiple methods, Becoming Activists in Global China explains how Falun Gong's roots in proselytizing and its ethic of volunteerism provided the launch pad for its political mobilization. Simultaneously, diaspora democracy activists adopted practices that effectively discouraged grassroots participation. The study also shows how the policy goal of eliminating Falun Gong helped shape today's security-focused Chinese state. Explaining Falun Gong's two decades of protest illuminates a suppressed piece of Chinese contemporary history and advances our knowledge of how religious and political movements intersect.

Part I. Thinking Comparatively: 1. Protest made in global China
2. Comparing Falun Gong and Minyun as movements
3. The forgotten importance of Falun Gong
Part II. The Cases: 4. Falun Gong: Qigong fad, new religion, protest movement
5. Falun Gong's history of 'stepping forward'
6. Overseas Minyun: democracy through bureaucracy, factionalism, and asylum brokering
Part III. Making Social Movements in Diaspora
7. Publics, proselytizing, and protest: tactical repertoires compared
8. Clarifying truth and saving souls
9. Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Political activism [JPW], Sociology [JHB], Religion & politics [HRAM2]