Rightful resistance in rural China
By: Kevin J. O'Brien, Lianjiang Li.
Contributors: Li, Lianjiang.
Series: Cambridge studies in contentious politics
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2006
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 200
Subjects: Peasantry -- China -- Political activity; China -- Rural conditions
Description: "How can the poor and weak "work" a political system to their advantage? Drawing mainly on interviews and surveys in rural China, Kevin O'Brien and Lianjiang Li show that popular action often hinges on locating and exploiting divisions within the state. Otherwise powerless people use the rhetoric and commitments of the central government to try to fight misconduct by local officials, open up clogged channels of participation, and push back the frontiers of the permissible. This "rightful resistance" has far-reaching implications for our understanding of contentious politics."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Rightful resistance; title: Opportunities and perceptions; title: Boundary-spanning claims; title: Tactical escalation; title: Outcomes; title: Implications for China.