Chinese Environmental Contention

A plethora of new actors has in recent years entered China's environmental arena. In Western countries, the linkages and diffusion processes between such actors often drive environmental movements. Through a study of Chinese anti-incineration contention, Chinese Environmental Contention: Linking Up against Waste Incineration investigates how the different contentious actors in China's green sphere link up, and what this means for environmental contention. It addresses questions such as: What lies behind the notable increase of environmental protests in China? And what are the potentials for the emergence of an environmental movement? The book shows that a complex network of ties has emerged in China's environmental realm under Hu Jintao. Affected communities across the country have connected with each other and with national-level environmentalists, experts and lawyers. Such networked contention fosters both local campaigns and national-level policy advocacy. Beyond China, the detailed case studies shed light on the dynamics behind the diffusion of contention under restrictive political conditions. Through a study of Chinese anti-incineration contention, this book investigates how the different contentious actors in China's green sphere link up and what this means for environmental contention.First comprehensive study that investigates the diffusion of contention and scale shift in China and systematically analyzes the linkages between different actor groups and sites of contention as potential basis for an environmental movement - One of few comprehensive studies that provide a detailed account of the dynamics behind the diffusion of contention and scale shift in an authoritarian setting - Systematic comparative case study design and large data base collected through ethnographic methods permit systematic in-depth investigation of nine cases in both urban and rural China.

Maria Bondes is an associate research fellow at the German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA) Institute of Asian Studies in Hamburg, Germany. Her research centers on social activism in China with a focus on environmental contention.

List of Tables and Figures, List of Abbreviations, Preface CHAPTER 1: An Emerging Network in China's Green Sphere - Towards an Environmental Movement? Introduction Networked Contention: Horizontal and Vertical Linkages and the Diffusion of Contention Methods and Data CHAPTER 2: A Burning Issue - Waste Incineration in China A Golden Age of Chinese Waste Incineration: Policies and Economic Incentives Critical Voices: The Chinese No Burn Community A Wave of Local Resistance: Local Community Contention against Waste Incinerators CHAPTER 3: Learning between Homeowners - The Urban Case of Beijing Asuwei Setting the Stage: Waste Incineration and Homeowner Resistance in Beijing For the Broader Public Good: The Case of Beijing Asuwei Analysis: The Role of Horizontal and Vertical Linkages in the Asuwei Campaign CHAPTER 4: Making the Most of External Linkages - The Rural Case of Panguanying Village With a Little Help from their Friends: The Case of Panguanying Village Analysis: The Role of Horizontal and Vertical Linkages for the Panguanying Villagers CHAPTER 5: The Limitations of Linkages - The Peri-Urban Case of Beijing's Dagong Village Resistance is Futile: The Case of Dagong Village Analysis: The Role of Horizontal and Vertical Linkages in the Dagong Struggle CHAPTER 6: Conclusion - Networked Contention: No Longer Fragmented, Not Yet a Movement Environmental Actors Linking Up: Implications for Local Anti-Incineration Contention in China Beyond Localized Struggles: Networked Contention and the Prospects of a Broader Movement Beyond Waste Incineration: Linking Up as Broader Trend in Chinese Environmental Contention Beyond China: Networked Contention, Linkages and Diffusion in a Restrictive Political Setting Appendices, Appendix I: List of Interviews, Appendix II: List of Cited Documents Appendix III: Basic Information on Collected Cases, Appendix IV: Brief Description of Sample and Central Background Cases, Appendix V: Case Protocol Template, References, Index.