Research master thesis | Asian Studies (research) (MA)
closed access
Hong Kong, a former British colony and now Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, has a long standing tradition of well networked political protest. Particularly the pro...Show moreHong Kong, a former British colony and now Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, has a long standing tradition of well networked political protest. Particularly the pro-democracy movement had gathered wide ranging public support in the years following the 1997 handover. In recent years this movement and the spectrum of the political opposition split and diversified. This thesis argues that the responsibilities and the question of leadership in the activist network of Hong Kong are contested and that existing hierarchies complicate protest action. This became particularly visible during the 2014 'Umbrella Movement'. Based on this example this thesis takes on the question whether contemporary pluralist networks can overcome power hierarchies. Through an analysis of original interviews with activists from the 'Umbrella Movement' the contesting narratives of leadership in the movement are explored and mapped. This helps to understand how the activists position others and themselves within a broader network, and shows how existing hierarchies affect the image of leadership in the network. The analysis also highlights other factors that influence the activists' understanding of power. Eventually it is shown that a number of leaders existed in the movement, which processes were perceived as complication for equal participation opportunities for all activists, and that hierarchies were neither absent nor static.Show less
Research master thesis | Asian Studies (research) (MA)
open access
2022-06-01T00:00:00Z
This thesis researches the Chinese community of the videogame Dota 2. It focusses on nationalism and how larger narratives are negotiated in the everyday experience. It argues that daily encounters...Show moreThis thesis researches the Chinese community of the videogame Dota 2. It focusses on nationalism and how larger narratives are negotiated in the everyday experience. It argues that daily encounters (in this case in the dota community) are processed through national narratives which constitute a 'normal' way of framing the world.Show less
