Yu, Ho Yan (2022) The dynamics of meaning-making : negotiating nonviolence in Hong Kong’s democracy movement between 2014 and 2019. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

This thesis traces the lineage of nonviolence discourse in Hong Kong’s democracy movement, focusing on the Umbrella Movement in 2014, the Anti-Extradition Movement in 2019 and the period between. Drawing on various materials, including in-depth interviews, footage of public assemblies and related documents, I examine how different actors contested with each other on their imaginations of activism through the signifier of wo lei fei, the Cantonese abbreviation of ‘peace, rationality, and nonviolence’. While the signifier of wo lei fei remains central in the discussion of activism during the periods examined, its usage and meaning nonetheless changed upon contestations. Based on the discourse-theoretical approach formulated by Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe, which emphasizes the open-ended nature and contingency of meaningmaking, I contend that cultural change (in this thesis, the change in the nonviolence discourse) involves a complex interplay of dislocation and articulation, where dominant norms and agency come into play. This contrasts with the extant literature where culture change is conceptualized as the substitution of ‘old’ frames (or repertories) with the ‘new’, and agents are free to choose between ready-to-use frames (or repertoires) at their disposal. The construction of wo lei fei from the idea of nonviolence in the Umbrella Movement illustrated how the idea of nonviolence was contextualized in Hong Kong, where elements of Westerncentric political philosophy were met with Chinese political thoughts, colonial legacies, and local experiences of activism. By examining the collective memories of the Umbrella Movement, I demonstrate how transformative events contribute to the dislocation of previous structures of meanings and open up the space for new meaning(s) to be constructed through re-articulation. The thesis also demonstrates how changes in the nonviolence discourse shape the relation between the moderate and militant factions in the pro-democracy camp, which was crucial for the formation of movement solidarity in the Anti-Extradition Movement. This thesis aims to blend the insights from the discourse-theoretical approach into the studies of culture in social movement research and provide a more dynamic approach in understanding the process of cultural change.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Subjects:	D History General and Old World > DS Asia H Social Sciences > HM Sociology J Political Science > JC Political theory J Political Science > JQ Political institutions (Asia, Africa, Australia, Pacific Area, etc.)
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Umbrella Movement, China, 2014, Democracy -- China -- Hong Kong, Hong Kong (China) -- Politics and government -- 1997-, Civil disobedience -- China -- Hong Kong, Protest movements -- China -- Hong Kong, Nonviolence
Official Date:	March 2022
Dates:	Date Event March 2022 UNSPECIFIED
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of Sociology
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Mah, Alice ; Solomos, John
Format of File:	pdf
Extent:	201 pages : illustrations, maps
Language:	eng

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