ABSTRACT

This book examines important social movements in Hong Kong from the perspectives of historical and cultural studies. Conventionally regarded as one of the most politically stable cities in Asia, Hong Kong has yet witnessed many demonstrations and struggles against the colonial and post-colonial governments during the past one hundred years. Many of these movements were brought about in the name of justice and unfolded against the context of global unrest. Focusing on the local developments yet mindful of the international backdrop, this volume explores the imaginaries of law and order that these movements engendered, revealing a complex interplay among evolving notions of justice, governance, law and order and cultural creations throughout the under-explored history of instability in Hong Kong. Underscoring the apparently contrasting discourses on the relationship among the rule of law, law and order and social movements in Hong Kong, the contributors emphasise the need to re-examine the conventional juxtaposition of the law and civil unrest. Readers who have an interest in Asian studies, socio-political studies, legal studies, cultural studies and history would welcome this volume of unique interdisciplinarity.

chapter |7 pages

Introduction

Negotiating the legitimacy of governance

part I|105 pages

The past matters

chapter 1|15 pages

Rule of law in Hong Kong history demythologised

Student umbrella movement of 1919

chapter 2|20 pages

‘Our best trump card’

A brief history of deportation in Hong Kong, 1857–1955

chapter 3|17 pages

Exclusion as oppression

A quest for extra-legal status for Chinese medicine in colonial Hong Kong

chapter 5|21 pages

‘Flying MPs’ and political change in a colonial setting

Political reform under MacLehose’s governorship of Hong Kong

chapter 6|17 pages

Between two episodes of social unrest below Lion Rock

From the 1967 riots to the 2014 Umbrella Movement

part II|98 pages

The art of argument

chapter 7|24 pages

Social movements and the law

The case of Hong Kong

chapter 9|16 pages

From civil disobedience to institutional politics

Conflict over the Public Order Ordinance in 2000*

chapter 11|17 pages

Who speaks for Lion Rock?

Pro-Cantonese campaign (or lack thereof) in Hong Kong