HKP Lecture 4 - The context (4): Political identity, culture and participation PDF

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The context (3): Political identity, culture and participationWhat is identity? - Identity and Difference (Kathryn Woodward, 1997) - An umbrella term – embraces a lot of identity possession e. gender, national identity, generational identity, class - It gives us a location in the world and presents ...

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HKP Lecture 4 The context (3): Political identity, culture and participation What is identity? • Identity and Difference (Kathryn Woodward, 1997) • An umbrella term – embraces a lot of identity possession e.g. gender, national identity, generational identity, class • It gives us a location in the world and presents the link between us and the society in which we live • What you have in common with others • Identity is marked out by difference • Struggle to exert different identities has material causes and consequences Why identity matters? • The nature of identity: • Essentialism and anti-essentialism: identity to be “made” rather than “found” • Identity is constructed because identity is changeable • No underline identity that can be found • Self identity and social identities (Anthony Giddens, 1991) • Self identity as a narration about the self: What to do? How to act? Who to be? • Biographical continuity – how you construct your identity • A way to present who you are to the others about who you think you are • A mode of thinking about ourselves/ An “identity project” • Always in process, changing itself all the time • Stage of being • Social identities • “Associated with normative rights, obligations and sanctions which, within specific collectives, form roles” • we are born in a society that preexist us - ~socialisation • Our identity is being shaped by certain social norms, related to the cultural resources Political identity and Identity politics • Political identity: • Comprises mainly people’s cultural or ethnic identity, national identity, and citizen identity as well as the associated beliefs and attitude • The resource to actualize identity depends on situational power • Also associated with normative rights and sanctions • E.g. First Wave Feminism – looking for equal political rights • Before WWI, idea from J.S. Mill, women became reserve workers while men fought for war • Identity politics: • The new social movement in the 1960s

HKP Lecture 4 The context (3): Political identity, culture and participation Claiming one’s identity as a member of an oppressed/ marginalized group • Uniqueness and oppression What is subjectivity? • Typically derived from the works of Continental Philosophy • Subjectivity versus Identity: • Subjectivity: What is a person/ The condition of being a person/ the processes by which we become a person • Identity: How do we see ourselves and how do others see us? • Stuart Hall (1992): Enlightenment subject, sociological subject and postmodern subject (1) Enlightenment subject: • Persons as unique and unified agents, self-constituted agents • Cartesian subject: “I think, therefore I am” • The rational and conscious individual subject (2) Sociological subject: • Subjects are not self-sufficient/ autonomous • In relation to the significant others • Internalization of social values • “Sutured” into the social structure (3) Postmodern subject • The absence of “core” self • Fractured and decentered (versus coherent and integrated subjects) • Shifting, multiple and fragmented • A “moveable feast” • We are actually taught to behave in certain ways and not to have deviant behviour Five major ruptures: • Marxism (a historical mode of production and social relations) • Psychoanalysis (the unconscious) • Feminism (the female subject?) • Language (the centrality of language) • The work of Michel Foucault (the product of discourse/ “docile bodies”) •

In modern art/popular culture • Salvador Dali (Surrealism) • The persistence of memory (1931) • Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960) • Modern Times (Charlie Chaplin, 1936) • Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927) What is agency 自主? • Associated with free will, action, originality: the possibility of change • Metaphysical notion of free agency: Agents are self-constituting

HKP Lecture 4 The context (3): Political identity, culture and participation Immanuel Kant – every individual has capacity for self-determination or self-governance • Rational human wills are autonomous – not bound by individual desire and external environment; but bound by the laws that made by yourself Sociological notion of free agency: • Choices and acts are determined by social forces • Differences in social resources, various ability to act in specific situations • Agency as socially constituted capacity to act • Some actors may have more domain of action than others • E.g. Education, wealth (if you are rich, you may have more opportunities)

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What is Political Culture? • Almond and Verba (1963): The aggregation of popular attitudes and sentiments towards the political system– political orientations toward the political objects • Cognitive orientation • Accurate knowledge towards politics • Affective orientation • Emotions or feelings towards politics • Evaluative orientation • Critical judgment, present argument • Almond and Verba’s three types of political cultures • Participant: Pride, pay attention to politics, high degree of political efficacy • Subject: More passive, uncomfortable speaking about politics • Parochial: Do not feel they are citizens of the nation, pay no attention to politics General object: general political system as a whole Input: Channels for ones to express Output: How govt responds to govt officials Self: Evaluation of one self Types of political culture

HKP Lecture 4 The context (3): Political identity, culture and participation

Parochial (detached fro politics) Negative – do not know, don’t have any feelings for politics Subject 服從 – people tend to obey, lack self-confidence to participate Participant – all positive feelings, very attentive to politics, high sense of advocacy, feel proud of the political system *may mix with each other Scope of political participation: obeying the laws, paying tax (implying you think the system is legitimate), civil disobedience What is Political Participation? • The pattern of political behavior of individuals in a political system • The scope of political participation • (i) Narrow view: Only relate it to the policy making process • Geraint Perry: “taking part in the formulation, passage and implementation of public policies” • Behaviors related to policy-making: voting, writing letters to legislators, joining a political party, demonstrations • (ii) Broad view: • Obeying laws, paying tax, civil disobedience • Implying acceptance/ rejection of the political system as a whole Political identity before 1997 • Postwar Hong Kong: Refugee society (Richard Hughes, 1968; Stephen Hoadley, 1970, 1973) • Mainlanders from China who had fled to the British colony to avoid Communist rule • Characteristics: Detachment from China physically and psychologically (no strong sense of Chinese identity), Britain and HK (did not form a very strong bonding with the local community) • A mixture of vague Chinese cultural identity and weak local citizen identity

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1960s after WWII: Baby boom, depoliticized education, witnessed social inequalities (insufficient and inadequate welfare, very corrupt police officers) and ideological struggle (social polarization between the Right and the Left) • First generation of locally born Hong Kong people • Still have refugee mentality as socialized and influenced by parents • Education curriculum: depoliticized citizenship – only about duties, not much about rights • 1956 Rightist Riot, 1967 Leftist Riot • *relatively conservative attitude Late 1970s and 80s: Growing affluence and “Lion Rock Spirit” • “Lion Rock spirit”: self-reliant, working hard to gain social mobility • Economic development: The economic take-off of HK, increase in mobility, full of opportunities • Perseverance, self-reliance, mutual support • Government reform by Governor MacLehose • Abolishment of monogamy • Introduction of public housing • Decentralization of government power, establishment of district boards Social movements and the emergence of localism (relatively free from the “rightist” and “leftist” movements; such as Chinese as official language) and improvement in the colonial governance • Emerged from bottom-up regarding issues concerning livelihood of HK people • Women’s Movement (50s-70s) • Anti-corruption campaign (1973) towards Police Superintendent (Peter Godber) • Student movements triggered by students in other parts of the world like Paris and Anti-Vietnam war A more optimistic future, but still a shallow sense of local identity (Lui Tai Lok, 2002; Law Wing-sang, 2014): • Local identity = ways to make a living, habits • A borrowed place, borrowed time • Resembles refugee mentality • HK people realize that eventually they will return back to China • Do not want to contribute to the society pactively • A capitalist way of living (presentation of self?) • Occupied by lots of uncertainties, politically not able to present themselves 周俊輝 , 《新半斤八兩 - 「繁榮盛世度度有金執」》 , 磁漆布本 , (Chow Chun-fai, Shanghai Grand, “Front Page, “Hong Kong will still be a paradise”, enamel paint on canvas, 100cm(H) x 150cm(W), 2008

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Prosperous image of HK

Popular Culture • A de-nationalized ruling strategy of the colonial government • Cultural difference and presentation in popular culture (e.g. Her Fatal Ways,

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表姐你好野; Ah Chan, 阿燦) • Ignorant of the social norms vs. sense of good taste • A consumerist life style vs. centrally planned economy in Mainland China More HK people came to identify themselves as “Hong Kongers” instead of Chinese Mainland Chinese as “others” (identity is formed by difference) Sino-British Joint Declaration (1984), Tiananmen Incident (1989) • People of HK were situated in a complex political environment • Bears certain historical mission/ HK as a dissident in the Chinese nation? Some people try to leave HK Or to look for certain sense of comfort? • To preserve the capitalist way of life through the Basic Law • Only focus on the economic system and ways of living but not political system • 50 years of unchanged • Only about entertainment and consumption: To play as usual (“馬照跑, • •

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舞照跳”), not about political participation To embrace values such as the pursuit of wealth, efficiency, instrumental rationality To find substitutes for democracy: e.g. freedom of speech, rule of law, efficiency of bureaucrats

Ambrose King: The thesis of political apathy It was common belief that the refugee mentality of postwar HK had procreated a narrow political perspective that saw the colony as a lifeboat • People are submissive to the government • Seldom care about politics • Make no demands for constitutional changes • Just look for short-term changes (material gain, stability) People focused primarily on the survival and livelihood of their family (only focus on interest of the family rather than the society as a whole) Research in the 1970s and 80s: Mixed parochial-subject attitudes (King, 1981; Hoadley, 1973) • People have little interest in registering as a voter or voting

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1980s: Political culture and participation exhibited increasing capitalistic characteristics Lau Siu-kai: Utilitarian Familism (1982) 功利家庭主義 Combined influence of traditional Chinese culture and that of an affluent modern city culture • Capitalist society: economic takeoff in 70s • Chinese culture Put family interest above the interest of the society • People only care about self interest • Very instrumental towards the society • Little demand towards the government • Only trust people in the family network but not the outsiders, people are pragmatic and instrumental Emphasized social stability and economic prosperity, felt incapable of influencing the government and had low expectation of it Attentive spectators: people read newspaper and have knowledge about politics but without participating in political activities Political participation characterized by aloofness, minimal in extent and nonideological in nature • When their livelihood are threatened by economic or social instability, people would protest Avoidance of involvement with outsiders “…a normative & behavioural tendency of an individual to place his familial interests above the interests of society or any of its component individuals and groups, and to structure his relationships with other individuals and groups in such a fashion that the furtherance of his familial interests is the primary consideration. Moreover, among the familial interests materialistic interests take priority over all other interests.” (p.201)

HKP Lecture 4 The context (3): Political identity, culture and participation Challenges to the thesis of political apathy Lam Wai-man: Political activism vs. a culture of depoliticization (2004) • The thesis of political apathy was not challenged until the late 1990s • The view of political apathy might be a myth (DeGolyer and Scott, 1997) • Lau siu-kai ignore grassroot participation (focus on elections and voting behavior) • Previous studies might fall short of being a complete account by overlooking the public’s participation at the district level, such as the Mutual Aid Committees • Activism: • Collective movements in shaping HK politics from below, such as: • Campaign for rent control (1953) • Women’s movement in 1950s to 1970s • Riots led by Tramways Union in the 40s and 50s • Defend Diaoyutai Movement (Chiu and Lui, 2000; Lam, 2004) *Activism exists simultaneously with Depoliticisation • • •

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Depoliticization: Some activities and events are taken out of political circulation/ blocked from political agenda or considered as being solved A strategy by the government (and some political groups) that discouraged political activism in society How? e.g. a narrow conception of politics (activities with the govt rather than people’s daily activities), by labeling activists as trouble-makers; by stressing the values of stability & prosperity etc. Result: A political activism that was limited in scale, intensity & articulation in society (but still activism) Numerous political activities had taken place which would only be captured by a more inclusive and locally relevant definition of political participation Differences between channels of participation in liberal democracies and that in HK (participation in institutions like research groups) • Have to consider grassroot participation in the context of HK Depoliticisation 去政治化 is different from political aloofness 政治冷感 • Political aloofness: People don't care about politics at all and have no knowledge about politics – no attitude or opinion • Depoliticisation is a political attitude itself (perceive politics as chaotic and dirty and avoid participation) – political attitude itself

Even HK people have certain degree of political activism, they are constrained by the depoliticized culture.

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Foucault: Discourse regulates what counts as truth under determinate social and cultural conditions (“regimes of truth”) – relationships of power & discipline • Many versions of truth in different cultural contexts • Maintain a given definition of power The “realm of politics” is itself a discourse: • It regulates how “politics” can be legitimately thought, and attempts to regulate an extended definition of politics that is “yet to be thought”, so as to maintain a given distribution of power • Why our conception of politics comes to have a particular shape Example: CY Leung argued that the public discussion of police violence during the Umbrella Movement is an attempt to “politicize” the issue • As if “police violence” is not politics/ political issue  trying to restraint our imagination of politics Produced subjects that are politically passive and constrained The discourse of depoliticization is “internalized” by the subject • E.g. politics is dirty, chaotic and counter-productive To Foucault, power is discursive/ pervasive rather than “top-down”: subjects have learned to behave in expected ways, to discipline themselves and to discipline the others • People helping to reinforce the discourse Power as productive: produce subjects that is politically passive From discourse to practice: Label fellow citizens as trouble-makers, selfrestraint in political actions • People would discipline themselves and others to make sure others would not go deviant Hence, social movements in Hong Kong can no longer be imagined as statecentric power struggles • New social movement: improving the society rather than just counteracting the government

Crises and reflections after 1997 Identity crisis • “Identity only becomes an issue when it is in crisis, when something fixed, coherent and stable is displaced by the experience of doubt or uncertainty” (Kobena Mercer,1990: 43). • 周俊輝 , 《無間道 - 「我想要回身份」》 , 磁漆布本 (Chow Chun-fai, Infernal Affairs, “I want my identity back”, enamel paint on canvas, 100cm(H) x 150cm(W), 2007) Ruptures 斷層: The relationship between HK and China • China: From “others” to part of the community/ trading partner of HK

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Tung Chee-wah’s policies of re-sinicization: • Do not have the advantages anymore, have to rely on China • Economically: “relying on Mainland China, facing the world” • HK people welcome economic integration after Asian Financial Crisis in 1998 • People expected that such economic integration would rejuvenate the economy of HK • Reliance on Mainland China to solve problems of governance (such as Basic Law interpretation in 1999) “Greater Pearl River Delta”/ An integral part of Southern China The call for political loyalty (e.g. Laws on national security, patriotism), cultivated economic reliance on Mainland China Views from HK: optimistic, to renegotiate a new Sino-Hong Kong discursive balance: “Hong Kong as a pioneer” • Even though HK and China turned into one community, HK people still consider HK is more advanced to China as HK has a better rule of law and freedom and rights which would bring about democratic development of China • Serving as a window – bringing efficiency to Mainland China and helping to expedite modernization process Impossible to assert a leading role to Mainland China’s colossal project of modernization • Cannot be transformed into concrete policies/ political actions under the executive-led system (such as motions to address the Tiananmen Incident) • Do not have enough political resources to assert our political identity in front of a powerful sovereign • Powerless in front of Beijing government • Executive-led system disabled HK from transforming HK identity into concrete policy (pan-democrats restrained from raising motion debates due to Private Members’ bill) • The legislature is incapable of rejecting the government policies of integration no matter how controversial they might be • Construction of infrastructure • Split voting mechanism in LegCo: when LegCo pass motion debates, split into 2 camps – FCs & GCs • Incapable of defending its “advantage” over Mainland China (e.g. rule of law) • No constraint of powers of the Beijing government Relatively difficult to be separated from Mainland China

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After 2010: No longer unique? • Economic: reversal of economic relationship, China’s “peaceful” rise and rapid reversal of the economic relations between Mainland China over Hong Kong, “parasite” capital; HK loses its superiority over China • Political: From subtle to blatant intervention (especially after the Umbrella Movement) • Social/ cultural: Individual travel, immigration policy, misuse of public resources, clash of culture:...