Nomocracy versus teleocracy: Comparing participatory urban redevelopment in Shenzhen and Kashgar

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Chinese regime in urban redevelopment has evolved from a command type to one that seems committed to adopting the successful elements of participatory institutions. Recent studies mostly focus on the analysis of cities populated by the Han ethnic group and, as such, are susceptible to ethnographical and cultural bias. Building upon the concepts of habitus and nomocratic-teleocratic imbrication, this article investigates the variegated forms of Chinese urban governance in redevelopment projects through a comparative view of critical geopolitics in cities with stark ethnographical differences—a Uyghur community in Kashgar’s Old Town, and a Han community in Shenzhen. Our findings reveal that, when faced with a teleocratic order imposed on their nomocratically formed space, Uyghur residents with a community-based habitus preferred non-confrontational practices for self-protection, rather than direct engagement in open conflict; conversely, Shenzhen residents with state-preference habitus chose public mobilization as a means to seek state attention, largely because their teleocratic community was allowed certain room for negotiations and contestation in the planning process. Two hybrid planning orders are identified: teleocratized nomocracy and nomocratized teleocracy, manifesting the divergent ways in which collaborative strategies have been incorporated by China’s governing authorities in order to increase policy adaptability. These findings contribute to understanding the complexity and flexibility of urban governance in the participatory transformation of the urban policy framework in China.