| Current stirrings in the People's Republic of China indicate that the country is undergoing a period of profound transition in the realm of civil society. While the issue has been theorized upon from a number of perspectives, only recently has the wider debate on the government's conduct with dissenting citizens garnered greater attention from the public. Since the repression of aggrieved citizens is no longer politically desirable nor internationally defendable, recent years have witnessed increased government responsiveness, to align governance to current dynamics.;Seeking to examine Chinese civil society's capacity to carve out a space for itself within the authoritarian system, this study poses the question, "Which platforms of participation does Chinese civil society invoke in its approach to influence government policy?" The question additionally analyzes to what extent this undertaking is encouraged, sustained or constrained by the government. It focuses on the areas of public protest, the spread of NGOs as platform for participation, and further channels of political involvement. A critical reading of available literature on the theoretical foundations situating civil society between the state and society provides a conceptual framework with which to examine the matter, with a particular focus on how key theories relate to Western or non-Western political experiences of civil society.;Applying an analysis of select literature and case studies, the findings identify that societal needs are increasingly reflected in a multitude of participatory channels. However, the government constantly supervises and mediates these channels. One adjacent component of this dissertation analyzes Chinese civil society's capacity to form, at times, collective resistance against both state regulations and societal restrictions. The study eventually finds that Chinese civil society embraces a combination of both Western political experiences as well as inherently Asian theoretical foundations. |
