Abstract
This paper adopts a critical discourse analysis in combination with in-depth interviews of 55 people to examine three representative cases of Internet subcultures created and practiced by Chinese netizens from 2009, in order to define the formats, strategies and tactics of these subcultures in relation to the broader mainstream political culture. The paper finds that the Chinese subculturists employ tactics of homophony and neologism made possible by the highly contextual Chinese language; the participants are aware of the appropriation of traditional Confucian ethics by the Party-state to legitimize its rule and devise targeted strategies of resistance accordingly; but their cynical attitude towards the dominant political culture prevents them from affecting real political change beyond mere defiance at the semiotic level. Key words: State censorship, cultural resistance, subcultures, post-subcultures, Chinese Internet.
Highlights
The virtual ban in China on “offline” political activities, such as protests, demonstrations and unofficial assemblies, has made the Internet the main tool and scene of the resistance to the authoritarian Party-state by Chinese netizens in a variety of areas, including freedom of speech, gender equality, the one-child policy and autonomy over their own lifestyle (Gong and Yang, 2010; Qiu 2013)
With political expression and criticism of social injustice heavily suppressed, Chinese netizens have come to resort to a particular form of online resistance characterized by culture- and entertainment-based memes with political messages embedded in them
Research by Qiu (2013) on the feizhuliu culture questions how articulations of female gender and sexuality relate to broader cultural politics in contemporary China and sheds light on the tensions between the so-called Chinese modernities and the different modernities reflected in certain forms of online subcultures and the gendered identities they construct
Summary
This paper adopts a critical discourse analysis in combination with in-depth interviews of 55 people to examine three representative cases of Internet subcultures created and practiced by Chinese netizens from 2009, in order to define the formats, strategies and tactics of these subcultures in relation to the broader mainstream political culture.
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