Does Global Civil Society (GCS) matter for China, the world’s largest authoritarian state and the second largest economy? In this talk Dr. Spires interrogates the unstable relationship between GCS and China. Dr. Spires analyzes the normative impacts GCS has had on China in recent decades and the possibilities created by Beijing’s new “going out” policies for Chinese civil society groups. Examining the rhetoric and reality of GCS as an emancipatory project, Dr. Spires argues that “universal values” underpinned by principles of human rights and democracy have gained currency in China despite official resistance from the government. While the Chinese party-state is keen to continue to benefit from GCS engagement, the 2017 INGO Law and its implementation practices have shown that Beijing is also determined to minimize any impact outside groups might have on regime security. The talk will conclude with some observations about diasporic activism and the increasing internationalization of Chinese civil society.
Anthony J. Spires is Associate Professor at the Centre for Contemporary Chinese Studies and Deputy Associate Dean International (China) in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Melbourne. He was previously Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Director of the Centre for Social Innovation Studies at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. His research focuses on the development of civil society in China, including philanthropy, governmental regulation, and the cultures of non-profit organisations. He has published widely in leading journals, including The American Journal of Sociology, The China Journal, China Quarterly, and Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly. Anthony is the author of Global Civil Society and China (Cambridge University Press, 2024) and Everyday Democracy: Civil Society, Youth, and the Struggle against Authoritarian Culture in China (Columbia University Press, 2024. A graduate of Occidental College, Anthony holds three master’s degrees and a PhD in Sociology from Yale University.
This free public lecture is part of the Global Chinese Philanthropy Research and Training Program and made possible with the support of the Cyrus Tang Foundation.