Professor CHEN Xi

This course is designed to prepare graduate and advanced undergraduate students to conduct in-depth analysis of popular contention in contemporary China. Substantively it will examine the origins, dynamics, and outcomes of collective protests in rural and urban settings and the politics of repression and accommodation. Conceptually it will explore how concepts developed to study social movements and collective action in Western countries may help us understand protests and resistance in today’s China. Theoretically, it will examine the relationships between state and society, history and institutions, and structure and agency.