| ID | 153570 |
| Title Proper | Emerging group name Gongyi |
| Other Title Information | ideational collectivity in China’s civil society |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Fengshi, Wu |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Contestation and mutual infl uence between the state and civil society
go beyond formal institutional realms, and extend into the ideational
spheres of social labeling, public speech, and collective consciousness
building. Based on data from a three-year research project, this article
analyzes Chinese activists and nongovernmental organization (NGO)
practitioners’ preferences for group identity, and fi nds “gongyi zuzhi”
(public interest organization) to be the most popular social label. Th e
article thus argues that if there exists a collective sense of belonging
among activists and NGO practitioners in China’s civil society, the
discursive contour of this sense of belonging is most likely to be “for
public interest.” The article further maps out possible associations
between one’s NGO-related work experience and refl ections on group
identity. “Gongyi” as a shared social label may not be politically
inspiring to some, but it carries a straightforward message of “working
for the public good” and discursive potential for meaning making. Th is
fi nding suggests not only society’s embeddedness and activists’ pragmatism,
but also maturing collective consciousness and discursive
autonomy in China’s civil society |
| `In' analytical Note | China Review Vol. 17, No.2; Jun 2017: p.123–150 |
| Journal Source | China Review 2017-08 17, 2 |
| Key Words | Civil Society ; China ; NGO ; Group Identity ; Gongyi |