March 2013 – Hong Kong’s Coming Culture War

As our society becomes more fractious and divided we ask whether the culture war has arrived in Hong Kong. In the United States, the term “culture war” is commonly used to refer to the ideological chasm between liberals and conservatives over a range of moral, cultural and political issues. In this issue of Periscope, we look at the fault lines that are dividing Hong Kong’s Christian communities and democratic movement, and at the struggle between emerging local consciousness and nationalism.

The waving of flags bearing symbols of the British colonial era has angered Mainland officials and nationalist forces in Hong Kong. Talk of autonomy and even independence troubles them even more. Varsity looks at the growing conflict between those who emphasize local consciousness and those who put country before all else.

A mass prayer meeting opposing equal rights for homosexuals drew criticism from liberal Christians and highlights the differences between them and more socially conservative evangelical Christians. Are we witnessing the rise of the religious right in Hong Kong?

The limited power of the Legislative Council to achieve political reform has frustrated many democrats, and some have turned to more radical ways to achieve democracy. Varsity looks at resistance within the system and outside of it