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Online Civic Engagement and the Anti-domestic Violence Movement in China: Shifting Norms and Influencing Law

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2026

Angela Leggett Open the ORCID record for Angela Leggett [Opens in a new window]
Angela Leggett*
Affiliation:
Graduate School of East Asian Studies (GEAS), Freie Universität Berlin, Nogatstraße 52, 12051, Berlin, Germany
*
a.leggett.88@gmail.com
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Abstract

In the context of China’s new law against domestic violence, proposed by the State Council in November 2014 and passed in July 2015, this article examines online engagement by Chinese citizens leading up to the legislative revision, and examines the Sina Weibo microblog activities of one influential organisation, nǚquán zhī shēng (Feminist Voice). I ask how a Chinese Civil Society Organisation (CSO) uses online media to open public discourse on, and in some cases challenge, formal and informal institutions around a normatively marginalised issue, the case of domestic violence. Drawing on and synthesising literature on domestic violence, civil society and online communications in China, this study provides a timely contribution given the relative limitedness of up-to-date data, after the huge wave of publications following the 1995 Beijing conference. Findings are based on content analysis of the Feminist Voice microblog during 2012. While Chinese CSOs are often dismissed as non-confrontational and therefore ineffective change agents, Feminist Voice does challenge status quo marginalisation of domestic violence in the public sphere and facilitate discussion around formal and informal institutional reform, thereby influencing social attitudes and potentially also policy and law making.

Résumé

Résumé

Dans le contexte de la nouvelle loi chinoise contre la violence familiale, proposée par le Conseil d’État en novembre 2014 et votée en juillet 2015, cet article examine l’engagement en ligne des citoyens chinois précédant la révision législative et examine les activités du microblog Sina Weibo d’une organisation influente, « n ǚ quán zh ī sh ē ng » (Voix féministe). Je demande comment une organisation de la société civile chinoise utilise un média en ligne pour ouvrir le débat public et, dans certains cas, contester les institutions officielles et officieuses sur une question marginalisée sur le plan normatif, la violence domestique. Synthétisant et s’appuyant sur la documentation concernant la violence domestique, la société civile et les communications en ligne en Chine, cette étude apporte une contribution opportune compte tenu des limites relatives des informations à jour après le flot immense de publications suite à la Conférence de Beijing de 1995. Les conclusions reposent sur l’analyse du contenu du microblog Voix féministe en 2012. Tandis que les organisations de la société civile (OSC) chinoise sont souvent considérées comme des agents de changement non conflictuels et donc inefficaces, Voix féministe remet bien en cause la marginalisation fixe de la violence familiale dans la sphère publique et favorise la discussion sur la réforme officielle et non officielle des institutions, influençant ainsi les attitudes sociales et peut-être aussi les politiques et les législations.

Zusammenfassung

Zusammenfassung

Vor dem Hintergrund von Chinas neuem Gesetz gegen häusliche Gewalt, das vom Staatsrat im November 2014 vorgelegt und im Juli 2015 verabschiedet wurde, untersucht dieser Beitrag das Online-Engagement chinesischer Bürger, welches die legislative Revision herbeigeführt hat, und betrachtet die Mikroblogging-Aktivitäten der einflussreichen Organisation nǚquán zhī shēng („Feministische Stimme“) auf Sina Weibo. Man geht darauf ein, wie eine chinesische Bürgergesellschaftsorganisation Onlinemedien dazu nutzt, eine öffentliche Diskussion über formelle und informelle Institutionen hinsichtlich eines normativ marginalisierten Themas wie häusliche Gewalt einzuleiten bzw. in einigen Fällen die Institutionen in Fage zu stellen. Die Studie fasst die Literatur zu den Themen häusliche Gewalt, Bürgergesellschaft und Onlinekommunikationen in China zusammen und stellt, wenn man berücksichtigt, dass die aktuellen Daten relativ beschränkt sind, einen zeitgerechten Beitrag im Anschluss an die immense Zahl von Veröffentlichungen nach der Konferenz in Peking 1995 bereit. Die Ergebnisse beruhen auf einer Inhaltsanalyse des Mikroblogs von „Feministische Stimme“im Jahr 2012. Chinesische Bürgergesellschaftsorganisationen werden häufig als nicht konfrontativ und somit als ineffektive Betreiber des Wandels abgetan; doch hinterfragt „Feministische Stimme“sehr wohl die gegenwärtige Marginalisierung häuslicher Gewalt im öffentlichen Bereich und fördert die Diskussion über eine formelle und informelle institutionelle Reform, wodurch sie Einfluss auf die gesellschaftlichen Einstellungen und möglicherweise auch die politischen und legislativen Entscheidungen ausübt.

Resumen

Resumen

En el contexto de la nueva ley china contra la violencia doméstica, propuesta por el Consejo de Estado en noviembre de 2014 y aprobada en julio de 2015, el presente artículo examina el compromiso online de los ciudadanos chinos que ha llevado a la revisión legislativa, y examina las actividades del microblog Sina Weibo de una influyente organización, nǚquán zhī shēng (Voz Feminista). Planteo cómo una organización de la sociedad civil china (OSC/CSO) utiliza los medios online para abrir el discurso público sobre, y en algunos casos cuestionar, las instituciones formales e informales en torno a una cuestión marginada normativamente, el caso de la violencia doméstica. Basándose y sintetizando el material publicado sobre violencia doméstica, la sociedad civil y las comunicaciones online en China, el presente estudio proporciona una contribución oportuna dada la relativa limitación de datos actualizados, tras la enorme ola de publicaciones como continuación a la conferencia de Beijing de 1995. Los hallazgos se basan en el análisis de contenido del microblog de Voz Feminista durante 2012. Aunque las organizaciones de la sociedad civil (OSC/CSO) a menudo son descartadas como agentes de cambio no beligerantes y por lo tanto ineficaces, Voz Feminista realmente cuestiona la marginación de la violencia doméstica por parte del status quo en la esfera pública y facilita el debate en torno a la reforma institucional formal e informal, influyendo de este modo en las actitudes sociales y potencialmente también en la formulación de políticas y leyes.

摘要

摘要

在国务院于2014年11月提出,2015年7月通过的中国新家庭暴力法背景下,本文探讨了推动这一法律修订的中国公民网上交互,同时调查了一家具有影响力组织——女权之声的新浪微博活动。我询问了一家中国CSO如何使用网上媒体展开公共讨论,以及在一些情况下挑战普遍被边缘化问题的正式和非正式制度,如家庭暴力。本研究编制和综合中国民间团体的家庭暴力文献和网上讨论,为1995年北京会议之后大量发行的出版物之后的相对数据局限性作出贡献。调查结果基于女权之声2012年期间发布的新浪微博的内容分析。尽管中国民间团体(CSO) 通常以非对抗形式解散,从而无法推动变革,但女权之声仍在挑战家庭暴力的边缘化现状,并且促进正式和非正式制度改革的讨论,从而影响社会态度以及潜在的政策和法律制定。

要約

要約

中国の家庭内暴力に対する新法については、2014 年 11 月に国務院が提案して2015 年 7 月に通過したが、本論文では、契約法改正に至るまでの中国市民によるオンラインでの関わりにおいて、影響力のある組織nǚquán zhī shēng (女性の声)の新浪微博のマイクロブログ活動を調査する。中国 CSO では公共の通信網にオンライン・メディアが使用されているが、規範社会から取り残されている問題、つまり家庭内暴力といった問題を持つ公式もしくは非公式の機関に対処する方法を提示している。本研究では、家庭内暴力、市民社会、中国のオンライン通信に関する文献を用いて統合することで、1995 年の北京会議に続く出版社の波以降から最新データにおける制約を提示して、時宜にふさわしい貢献を提供する。調査結果は、2012年中にフェミニスト音声マイクロブログの内容分析に基づいている。中国の市民社会組織 (CSO) は非対立的であるため、非効率的な変更を示す主体となる。フェミニストの声は、公共圏における家庭内暴力の現状での疎外に挑戦しており、それによって社会的態度および潜在的態度にも政策と立法に影響を与える形式的で非公式な制度改革の議論を容易にする。

ملخص

ملخص

ي سياق القانون الصيني الجديد ضد العنف المنزلي، الذي تم إقتراحه عن طريق مجلس الدولة في نوفمبر 2014 والذي تمت الموافقة عليه في يوليو 2015، تبحث هذه المقالة المشاركة على الإنترنت عن طريق المواطنين الصينيين التي أدت إلى التعديل التشريعي، ودراسة أنشطة المدونات الصغيرة في الموقع الإليكتروني (Sina Weibo) وأحد المنظمات المؤثرة، (nǚquán zhī shēng) (صوت نسائي). أنا أسأل كيف تستخدم منظمات المجتمع المدني (CSO) الصينية وسائل الإعلام على الإنترنت لفتح نقاش عام ، وفي بعض الحالات تتحدي ، المؤسسات الرسمية والغير رسمية حول مشاكل المهمشين معياريا”، مشكلة العنف المنزل. بالإعتماد على تجميع عناصر الأدب بشأن العنف المنزلي، المجتمع المدني، والإتصالات على الإنترنت في الصين، تقدم هذه الدراسة مساهمة في الوقت المناسب نظرا” للمحدودية النسبية لتصل إلى البيانات حتى الآن، بعد موجة ضخمة من المنشورات بعد مؤتمر بكين عام 1995. تستند النتائج على تحليل المحتوى من المدونات الصغيرة للصوت النسوي خلال عام 2012. بينما غالبا” ما يتم صرف النظر عن منظمات المجتمع المدني (CSO) الصينيةعلى أنها غير تصادمية وبالتالي عناصر تغييرغير فعالة، الصوت النسوي يتحدى وضع التهميش الراهن للعنف المنزلي في المجال العام وتسهيل النقاش حول الإصلاح المؤسسي الرسمي والغير رسمي، بالتالي التأثير في المواقف الإجتماعية وإحتمال أيضا” صنع السياسات و القانون.

Keywords

Civil societyDomestic violenceSocial mediaOnline communicationChina

Information

Type
Original Paper
Information
Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations , Volume 28 , Issue 5 , October 2017 , pp. 2251 - 2277
Copyright
Copyright © International Society for Third-Sector Research and The Johns Hopkins University 2016

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