A challenged hybrid system? : A case study investigating the hegemonic struggles between the 2019’s democracy movement and Chinese authoritarianism over Hong Kong political system

• Main Author: Zaragoza, Pauline
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Malmö universitet, Institutionen för globala politiska studier (GPS) 2021
• Subjects: Hong Kong; Hybrid system; China; Democracy movement; Hegemony; Authoritarianism; Political Science; Statsvetenskap; Social Sciences; Samhällsvetenskap
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-45755

Hong Kong is known for its specific political model composed by a hybrid system balancing democracy and authoritarianism. This work investigates the hegemonic nature of the interactions between the 2019’s democracy movement and the pro-Beijing actors and how they affected this systemic balance. Based on a case study, this essay mixes the hegemony, social movements and authoritarianism theories to carry out this research. The findings show a change of the systemic paradigm through the domination of the Chinese authoritarian system. This mainlandisation has occurred from a soft and hard power interactions between the two actors to reach a domestic hegemony. From a soft power lens, the collective action theory highlights a rising unbalance of power within the political and media institutions with the rising control of China, however, the movement through its ideas, capabilities and political opportunities formed a counter-hegemony. From a hard power lens, those interactions evolved in an escalation of symbolic and physical violence in terms of repertoires of actions and policing. This radicalization of the movement offered an opportunity to strengthen the control of China. This hybrid regime case shows that democracy movements have fueled an “authoritarianisation’ instead of a democratization.