The Paths to Youth Activism in Hong Kong: A Case Study of the Scholarism

• Other Authors: Chao, Mun Wa (author.)
• Format: Others
• Language: English; Chinese
• Published: 2016
• Online Access: http://repository.lib.cuhk.edu.hk/en/item/cuhk-1292348

本論文旨在探討香港青年參與社會運動的動機。近年，香港社會掀起青年積極參與社會運動的浪潮。學民思潮是最顯著的例子，這個由中學生組成的青年政治組織，於2012年發起了反對特區政府設立德育及國民教育科的社會運動。他們認為該科目有意向青年灌輸「洗腦式」的愛國教育，「反國教運動」成功動員近十二萬名市民包圍政府總部，最終驅使當局撤回方案。 === 本論文與21位學民思潮的核心成員進行深入訪談，探討近年青年積極參與社會運動的原因。本論文旨在剖析曾被視為「政治冷感」的香港青年，在社會抗爭過程中扮演愈趨重要的角色之箇中原因。 === 借用雲‧斯特克倫博赫和蓋德曼斯 (van Stekelenburg and Klandermans)提出的社會運動參與的雙路徑模式 (dual pathway model to protest)，我們採用了社會心理學的理論以分析青年參與社會運動的動機及心路歷程。研究發現，青年抗爭者可歸納為兩大類：(1) 能動者類別，這類青年具政治能動性，採取工具性/ 社會社會鑲嵌的路徑參與社會運動﹔(2) 不滿類別，這類青年欠缺政治能動性，對政治抱懷疑態度，採取不滿路徑參與社會運動。本研究認為，在兩類的青年中，集體身體認同都對其社會運動參與扮演身重要角色，而對推動不滿類別，欠缺政治能動性的青年的影響至關重要。 === Hong Kong has experienced an unprecedentedly high level of youth activism against government policy changes in recent years. The most prominent example is “Scholarism,” a movement that was founded by secondary students that orchestrated a remarkable campaign against the government’s proposal to establish the Moral and National Education curriculum in 2012. At one point, Scholarism activists claimed to have mobilized nearly 120,000 citizens in an "occupation" of government headquarters for ten days. They eventually forced the government to withdraw its proposal of what the Scholarists regarded as "brainwashing patriotic education." === The present study is based on in-depth interviews with 21 core members of Scholarism movement, to examine the apparent “dawn” of youth political activism in Hong Kong. This thesis intends to solve the riddle of how young people in Hong Kong, who had been depicted as "political apathetic," were playing an increasingly significant role in social protest. === Drawing on van Stekelenburg and Klandermans’s dual pathway model of protest, the social psychological explanation is applied to understanding the motivational dynamics behind Scholarism. The main argument is that youth activists in Hong Kong can be categorized into two main clusters, which take two distinctive pathways to protest participation: (1) the efficacy cluster, which is steered by a sense of political efficacy and which follows the social instrumental/embeddedness pathway (in particular, virtual embeddedness); (2) the grievances cluster, which is steered by a contempt for cynicism and by a collective identity, and which follows a grievances pathway. The argument of this study is that group identification plays a pivotal role in motivating the activists of both clusters, while inspiring previously disempowered youth to protest in the interest of the group. === Chao, Mun Wa. === Thesis M.Phil. Chinese University of Hong Kong 2016. === Includes bibliographical references (leaves ). === Abstracts also in Chinese. === Title from PDF title page (viewed on …). === Detailed summary in vernacular field only. === Detailed summary in vernacular field only. === Detailed summary in vernacular field only.