Situated in the contemporary debate over the implications of the Internet to the contentious politics and authoritarian states, this study is an empirical investigation into the mechanism and the determinants of cyber-to-physical mobilisation in contemporary China. This research compares the mobilization processes of the two cyber-contentious episodes in China, namely the Xiamen PX Event in 2007 and the Sanlu Milk Scandal in 2008. It is grounded on a two-year cyber-ethnographic investigation and in-depth interviews with 14 people differently involved in the respective cyber-contentious episodes. In order to find out why some contentious activities are able to transform into street protests while others of similar nature are contained or even vanish in the cyberspace, this study examines the interactions between the four stakeholders in each contentious episode (i.e., the cyber-protesters, the media, the state power, and the market forces). It highlights the importance of the state power and the market forces in cyber-to-physical mobilisation, and determines the conditions under which cyber-to-physical mobilisation is feasible. This thesis elucidates how the state power and the market forces collectively condition cyber-to-physical mobilisation through the media (both the print and the digital media). The entire mechanism is powered by the tensions between cyber-protesters, the media, the state power and the market forces. The media framing of an incident influences the grievance formation of cyber-protesters, which further determines cyber-to-physical mobilisation. Thus, by manipulating the media framing, the state power or the market forces may control cyber-to-physical mobilisation, although it is not always a success. Based on the mechanism for cyber-to-physical mobilisation, this thesis further ascertains the conditions for cyber-to-physical mobilisation. The two contentious episodes show that cyber-to-physical mobilisation is prohibited when the respective core interests of the state power and the market forces are in complete unity (i.e., national mobilisation and industrial damage are eminent). On the contrary, if cyber-to-physical mobilisation merely triggers controllable regional mobilisation, the state will tolerate it; and if cyber-tophysical mobilisation only costs limited corporate damage, the market forces will allow it. Under such circumstances, cyber-to-physical mobilisation is possible. / published_or_final_version / Sociology / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / abstract / Sociology / Master / Master of Philosophy

Urban social movements become one of the major forms of participation of urban governance of the public in recent years. Social values changed dramatically after the handover that people started to concern their right to the city. They demand for more power and influence in the formulation of urban policies and development strategy. However, urban governance in Hong Kong did not change with the time and resisted changes. This thus widened the gap of urban meaning between the formal government and the public. The conflict of their urban meanings thus led to urban social movement which aim to transform the urban governance. This also reinforce by the presence of new media in the mobilization of the movement. This dissertation aims to investigate how the changes of social values affect the conflict of urban meaning between urban actors and the impact on the urban governance in Hong Kong through analysing the framing of activists and urban managers. Choi Yuen Village Incident is chosen as case study to examine how different urban actors frame the issue and the implied urban meaning in the framing. This would reveal the conflict of urban meaning and the root of the occurrence of urban social movements in Hong Kong. / published_or_final_version / Urban Planning and Design / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

published_or_final_version / Urban Studies / Master / Master of Social Sciences

本研究針對三個重要層面（論述、鬥爭和情感的過程）進行探索，討論社會運動中反對勢力框架的建構和發展。本文將先探討社會運動如何在論述層面上建構框架，令運動框架取得認受性並挑戰主流霸權論述；是次研究亦會討論互聯網時代如何影響框架爭奪戰的進行；最後，本文將分析框架美學化的現象如何影響社會運動的動員。本研究以香港的菜園村抗爭運動作為案例，並採用文本分析、訪問及參與式觀察等研究方法。 / 本文旨在擴充框架分析的討論層面：除探討其認知層面外，本文更試圖討論框架建構中被忽略的面向：情感性層面。此外，本文亦會分析框架爭奪戰的場境如何在互聯網時代被擴大。 / 在認知層面上，本文發現在論述性的框架建構過程中，若框架的理念能充分回應社會、政治及文化上的斷裂，框架動員力便會提高。此外，在運動過程中，策略性的框架轉化亦有助號召不同界別的群體參與。 / 在鬥爭層面上，本文指出在互聯網時代，社會運動與政府、主流傳媒進行框架爭奪戰的場境已被伸延及擴大。而互聯網所造就的分散式競爭能量及沉積性網絡結構則對運動於框架爭奪戰過程中有利。 / 最後，在情感層面上，本文認為近年社會運動中採用的美學化運動手段，有助運動在情感和道德價值上動員群聚，因美學化的框架不單有助社會運動鞏固其內部聯繫，對民眾整體都有吸引力。 / This study investigates the construction and development of opposition frames in a social movement by exploring three important dimensions: the discursive, contested, and affective processes. This study first elucidates how counter-frames can be discursively constructed to gain legitimacy in challenging the dominant hegemonic belief. Second, the study reviews how the framing processes have been influenced by the Internet in the digital era. Finally, it investigates how the aestheticization of frames relates to the affective mobilization of a movement. These questions were addressed through the case of the Tsoi Yuen resistance movement, a two-year struggle in Hong Kong. To this end, textual analysis, interviews, and participant observations are employed. / This study seeks to elaborate upon the framing perspective by discussing not only the cognitive meaning alignment processes, but also expanding the theoretical discussion in the affective dimension of framing, which is an under-explored area. In addition, it contributes to the investigation of the expanded frame contestations in the Internet era. / On the cognitive level, this thesis argues that the discursive framing strategies have worked best when meanings are activated by exploiting the social, political, and cultural cleavages in post-colonial Hong Kong. In addition, the transformation of framing strategies can facilitate mobilizations across a variety of groups of targets when different cleavages are echoed. / For the contested framing processes, it is argued that the media ecology of the framing contest between the movement’s frames and the dominant frames constructed by the government and the mainstream media have been considerably enlarged by the Internet. The distributed contested power and sedimentary networks emerging in the Internet era are enabling the contested processes in the frame battle. / Finally, on the affective level, this study argues that the series of aesthetic movement tactics employed in social movements enhance the affective dimension of framing processes through the mediation of the emotional and moral components. Aestheticized frames serve to consolidate engagements among the movement’s participants and to appeal to the publics at large. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Ma, Lai Yee. / Thesis (Ph.D.) Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2014. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 262-281). / Abstracts also in Chinese.

published_or_final_version / Urban Studies / Master / Master of Social Sciences

published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management

馬柏華. / "2011年6月". / "2011 nian 6 yue". / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2011. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 198-250). / Abstracts in Chinese and English. / Ma Bohua. / 摘要 --- p.i-iii / 致謝 --- p.iv-vii / 目錄 --- p.viii / Chapter 第一章̐ı‘ --- 問題提出 --- p.1-14 / Chapter 1.1 --- 空間運動:一個困惑的現象及相關研究問題 --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- 研究問題的重要性及理論脈絡 --- p.2 / Chapter 1.3 --- 主要概念界定 --- p.7 / Chapter 1.4 --- 研究對象 --- p.11 / Chapter 1.5 --- 研究的時間框架及事件 --- p.12 / Chapter 第二章̐ı‘ --- 文獻回顧一社會空間理論 --- p.15-38 / Chapter 2.1 --- 全球化理論 --- p.17 / Chapter 2.2 --- 後殖民理論 --- p.22 / Chapter 2.3 --- 後物質主義 --- p.29 / Chapter 2.4 --- 其他宏觀視角 --- p.31 / Chapter 2.5 --- 理論的適用程度 --- p.31 / Chapter 第三章̐ı‘ --- 研究方法和研究設計 --- p.39-56 / Chapter 3.1 --- "“共時"" (結構脈絡)與“歷時"" (歷史)並重的研究方法" --- p.39 / Chapter 3.2 --- 採納解釋社會學的原則:盡量站在研究對象的立場作出詮釋 --- p.44 / Chapter 3.3 --- 厚度描述的運用 --- p.48 / Chapter 3.4 --- 原始資料的運用:口述歷史在本研究的優點、缺點與處理方法 --- p.48 / Chapter 3.5 --- 選取受訪者策略及樣本合法性 --- p.53 / Chapter 3.6 --- 次級資料:報章的報導、相關文章及政府文檔 --- p.56 / Chapter 第四章̐ı‘ --- 外在結構性脈絡 --- p.57-104 / Chapter 4.1 --- 都市空間結構變遷:城市再發展階段的張力 --- p.59 / Chapter 4.2 --- 抗爭運動文化的全球化 --- p.63 / Chapter 4.3 --- 全球化與在地知識分子運動:文他研究的傳人、嶺大文化研究系的確立及其影響 --- p.70 / Chapter 4.4 --- 學生組織網絡 --- p.75 / Chapter 4.5 --- 高官問責制的推行 --- p.82 / Chapter 4.6 --- 資訊及溝通科技的普及化 --- p.85 / Chapter 4.7 --- 後殖民時期的經濟、政治與公民社會狀況 --- p.89 / Chapter 4.8 --- 地產霸權 --- p.97 / Chapter 第五章̐ı‘ --- 一場空間運動的爆發(個案部分一) --- p.105-134 / Chapter 5.1 --- 藝術行動者的行動 --- p.106 / Chapter 5.2 --- 宵夜與新聞媒體的報導:首次注意天星事件 --- p.110 / Chapter 5.3 --- "何志平的“謊話"" .核心行動者初到現場" --- p.111 / Chapter 5.4 --- "“偽""行動者的態度、韓農抗爭文他與鷹派的行動" --- p.113 / Chapter 5.5 --- 衝人工地的過程 --- p.119 / Chapter 5.6 --- 保衛意識的誕生:共同社運經驗、天星碼頭的特質與成為主體的渴求 --- p.120 / Chapter 5.7 --- 政治團體與民間團體的缺席:實踐行動的空間 --- p.124 / Chapter 5.8 --- 手機短訊的發放、關條網絡與社運文化 --- p.125 / Chapter 5.9 --- 天星碼頭的拆卸經過:主體性的初現、行動者與空間的進一步扣連 --- p.127 / Chapter 第六章̐ı‘ --- 空間運動的延伸過程(個案部分二) --- p.135-171 / Chapter 6.1 --- 繼續行動的基礎 --- p.135 / Chapter 6.2 --- 天星運動的延續:皇后碼頭的捍衛 --- p.142 / Chapter 6.3 --- Actant的出現:行動意義的演化與本土行動的成立 --- p.143 / Chapter 6.4 --- 餘波:其他民間團體對的再度關注與政府的反應 --- p.147 / Chapter 6.5 --- 弱者的策略(一) :論述的誕生及挪用 --- p.149 / Chapter 6.6 --- 弱者的策略(二) :物質空間的挪用 --- p.163 / Chapter 6.7 --- 運動後期的經過 --- p.168 / Chapter 第七章̐ı‘ --- 空間運動的效果與研究總結 --- p.172-198 / Chapter 7.1 --- 延續?衰落? --- p.172 / Chapter 7.2 --- 政府架構、政策及行動者在觀念上的轉變 --- p.176 / Chapter 7.3 --- 研究結果 --- p.178 / Chapter 7.4 --- 社會空間理論的局限與研究貢獻 --- p.182 / Chapter 7.5 --- 研究展望 --- p.197 / 參考書目 --- p.199-251

published_or_final_version / Urban Studies / Master / Master of Social Sciences

香港基進政治組織人民力量放棄以激進方式表達訴求，改以「快樂抗爭」作為政治策略以吸引大量群眾參與，並形成可觀的政治力量施予政府政治壓力。人民力量雖然以基進組織自居，何以取「快樂抗爭」作為它的政治策略呢？在此論文會仔細討論「快樂抗爭」如何以喜慶節日之感，讓與者用以直接抗爭為手法，承擔昂貴的政治成本來表達訴求，代之以輕鬆快之手段鼓動更多公眾參與。同一時間，縱使情緒搧動可以直接鼓動民眾與政治運動，然而情緒也有不智的一面。為了讓參與者宣洩他們的不滿，減低運動失控的情況，人民力量採納具有浄化作用的「快樂抗爭」作為它的抗爭手段。以下文章同時採用質性及質量硏究，以明情緒在社會運動中扮演的角色。 / People Power, a radical group in Hong Kong, abandoned their disruptive approach, and adopted a new tactic of social movementjoyous resistancewhich attracted large numbers of participants. In this way, People Power became an influential political lever, exerting great pressure on the government. Why did this radical political party, People Power, abandon its stance of resistance through physical confrontation, and opt for a moderate approach, joyous resistance, to express their anger and voice their grievances at the government and at the group’s antagonists? The shift in tactics has certainly been a successful one, attracting the attention of the public and helped a marginalized radical political party, People Power, to win three seats in 2012 Legislative Council Election. Although traditional theories of social movements have largely neglected the importance of emotion, the case of People Power shows that festive emotion can be an intangible resource to reduce the cost of participation when compared with confrontational tactics. The cathartic function of joyous resistance also reduces the potential for violence when People Power uses emotional appeals to mobilize the masses. In this thesis the concept of joyous resistance is introduced and the salient role of emotion in social movements is discussed, using case studies on People Power, the League of Social Democrats, the Democratic Party and the Civic Human Rights Front. Both quantitative and qualitative analysis will be conducted for the following thesis. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Ng, Vitrierat. / Thesis (Ph.D.) Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2014. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 207-215). / Abstracts also in Chinese; appendixes includes Chinese. / Ng, Vitrierat.