THESIS
2019
ix leaves, 58 pages : illustrations ; 30 cm
Abstract
What are the social and political roles of online recreational associations as a kind of civic
association in contemporary China? By incorporating governance theory, I reject the dominant
image of dyadic and confrontational state-society relationship and propose a symbiotic
relationship between the two sides. By tracing the user groups of Neihan Duanzi, an online
joking platform, I argue that the seek for group legitimacy and mutual-help practices are crucial
to explain the development of civic agenda of these self-serving groups. Furthermore, local
government is the key in encouraging or inviting associations to play a larger role in public
welfare provision. It is the common concern about local governance issues that allows them to
form mutually reinforcing interactions, which...[
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What are the social and political roles of online recreational associations as a kind of civic
association in contemporary China? By incorporating governance theory, I reject the dominant
image of dyadic and confrontational state-society relationship and propose a symbiotic
relationship between the two sides. By tracing the user groups of Neihan Duanzi, an online
joking platform, I argue that the seek for group legitimacy and mutual-help practices are crucial
to explain the development of civic agenda of these self-serving groups. Furthermore, local
government is the key in encouraging or inviting associations to play a larger role in public
welfare provision. It is the common concern about local governance issues that allows them to
form mutually reinforcing interactions, which enables civil associations to further transform
into partners of the state. This case-study thus urges us to reconsider the shared space between
state and civic association in maintaining well governance even in an authoritarian regime.
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