Environmental Movement in Democratizing Taiwan (1980–2004): A Political Opportunity Structure Perspective

Abstract

When Hong Kong was handed over to mainland China in 1997, its status changed from British colony to Chinese Special Administrative District. With this regime change, a surprisingly strong new post-modernist mode of social movement has emerged with distinct characteristics. Compared to previous forms of mobilization, this new type of movement relies more on media and social networks supported by information technology (Chan 2005, 1). It exhibits post-modernist qualities in its goals, participants, organization, strategies, and patterns of mobilization. This paper argues that the July 1, 2003 protest, the largest indigenous social movement in Hong Kong history, and subsequent movements illustrate these post-modernist qualities and explain the conditions for their emergence.