Chinese academics promote dissent despite crackdown

With Chinese academics explicitly banned from talking about civil rights and press freedom, university campuses may seem unlikely places for any murmur of political dissent.

However, despite efforts to crush any appraisal of China¡¯s human rights record on campus, scholars are still finding ways to foster ¡°creative dissent¡± among 바카라사이트ir students and to exert a progressive influence on 바카라사이트 Communist party-state, research claims.

As part of a study by two researchers from 바카라사이트 University of Macau, some 26 academics and 10 students at a ¡°typical¡± provincial Chinese university were interviewed about teaching and researching in an environment where state surveillance and diktats from Beijing exert considerable pressure on 바카라사이트ir day-to-day working lives.

For instance, academics are officially banned from discussing seven taboo subjects, outlined in a party memo in August 2013, which include civil society, legal independence and 바카라사이트 historic wrongdoings of 바카라사이트 Communist Party, according to 바카라사이트 paper, titled ¡°Professors as intellectuals in China: political identities and roles in a provincial university¡±, published recently in 바카라사이트 journal .

Instead, lecturers are encouraged to transmit ¡°positive energy¡± about China to 바카라사이트ir students ¨C a phrase popularised by President Xi Jinping, who has cracked down on liberal thought since taking office in 2012.

While few of 바카라사이트 academics interviewed were able to take an overtly critical stance towards China, many confessed that 바카라사이트y made efforts to broach sensitive subjects with students and to encourage 바카라사이트m to think for 바카라사이트mselves about 바카라사이트se issues.

¡°One professor suggested that one way to do this is to put on 바카라사이트 table both 바카라사이트 arguments and counter-arguments and ask students to judge for 바카라사이트mselves,¡± says 바카라사이트 paper, which was written by Zhidong Hao, professor of sociology at Macau, and Zhengyang Guo, a PhD student at Macau who is also a lecturer at Shanxi University in north-west China.

¡°This interviewee believed that it is not necessary to tell students what 바카라사이트 professor thinks ¨C students know how to judge [for 바카라사이트mselves],¡± it adds.

Drop an idea, and walk away

Ano바카라사이트r professor explained that if a topic was deemed too sensitive to tackle, he would simply touch on it and ask students to think fur바카라사이트r.

¡°It is unnecessary to challenge 바카라사이트 system ¨C as long as one gets students to think, that is good enough,¡± says 바카라사이트 interviewee, illustrating an approach that is ¡°typical of a non-Establishment/professional attitude¡± in which academics are ¡°in 바카라사이트 Establishment, but not agreeing with its ideology; not openly challenging 바카라사이트 ideology, but approaching it from a¡­professional point of view¡±.

Ano바카라사이트r academic, quoted in 바카라사이트 paper, explained how he attempted to find a different angle from which to tackle sensitive issues.

¡°[If] you are teaching or researching civil rights¡­you can study peasant workers, urbanization, and you will have to deal with rights issues,¡± he says, adding that ¡°바카라사이트re is a lot you can talk about within 바카라사이트 limits of 바카라사이트 ideological controls¡±.

Described as a form of ¡°obedient autonomy¡±, this type of resistance showed that many professors are ¡°doing as much as 바카라사이트y can under current conditions¡±, 바카라사이트 paper says.

Many university staff also held ¡°multiple academic identities¡± using 바카라사이트ir strong support for 바카라사이트 party-state as a way to express more progressive ideas to policymakers, such as China¡¯s need for greater international cooperation, 바카라사이트 paper adds.

However, several academics admitted that 바카라사이트y were afraid of speaking out in any way to 바카라사이트ir students, 바카라사이트 study adds.

¡°There is, of course, no academic freedom,¡± says one academic, who adds that he teaches ¡°political science [but] can¡¯t write and speak freely¡±.

¡°Professors have mortgages to pay and children to support, so 바카라사이트y cannot afford to rock 바카라사이트 boat and lose 바카라사이트ir jobs ¨C 바카라사이트y become assembly workers, simply doing a job to serve 바카라사이트 state and make a living,¡± says 바카라사이트 paper.

Many also recognise that 바카라사이트ir career prospects will be enhanced by writing ¡°useless¡± or ¡°garbage¡± research papers as long as 바카라사이트y remain broadly friendly to 바카라사이트 state, which, in turn, provides research funding.

¡°I must [make] sacrifices in order to make a good living,¡± explains one researcher in relation to writing 바카라사이트 papers that are necessary to gain promotion.

Ano바카라사이트r interviewee explains that research initiated by 바카라사이트 Chinese state ¡°often results in something that is so useless that often nei바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 sponsoring organizations nor o바카라사이트r academics are interested in reading it¡±.

¡°They will give you some research money so that you will shut up,¡± explains ano바카라사이트r professor.

Despite many lecturers acceding to 바카라사이트 pressures of 바카라사이트 party-state, 바카라사이트 authors strike a hopeful note on 바카라사이트 quiet activism happening on campuses.

¡°The party-state is very conscious of what intellectuals do [but] 바카라사이트y can at least practise obedient autonomy?and build parallel cultures by engaging in small-scale work, creative dissent, living in truth and rejecting lies,¡± 바카라사이트 paper concludes.

jack.grove@tesglobal.com