Two professors in Hong Kong interview fellow academics, student activists and graduate students from mainland China in order to draw out Hong Kong’s history in relation to globalising forms of political expression. Colonial history, neoliberal urban governance, and Chinese authoritarianism all bea
Could mainland China not seek eventual convergence towards a democratic system, respectful of the full gamut of human rights? That actually is what the happenings in Hong Kong now are about.
“Can you not hear that clock ticking? Or is that just the beating of our hearts pounding ever harder? Time is not on our side; it is on the side of the adversary.”
Hong Kong’s deep reservoir of discontent is not, as Beijing contends, the result of efforts by “anti-China” forces. They are the local reactions of people who have no influence over policies that are rapidly changing their home.
Despite evidence showing that most Hong Kongers support increased legal rights for gay people, the city’s leaders continue to pander to the prejudices of social conservatives.
A mixture of ignorant customers and profit hungry retailers are trivialising the symbolism of Hitler and Nazi Germany in Mongolia, India and South Korea.
