Active, dutiful and pragmatic: practicing green citizenship in urban China

Abstract

This study examines how eco-conscious citizens in urban China negotiate and practice citizenship in the everyday in response to the environmental and climate crises. Drawing on 45 in-depth interviews with participants in a ‘zero waste’ community and virtual observation, I explore how individuals articulate duties and rights, and act to claim their roles as green citizens. I argue that the changing socio-political conditions in China give rise to a particular type of green citizenship that is active, dutiful, pragmatic, and at the same time, gendered and classed. Motivated by a strong sense of duty toward nature and future generations, green citizens set realistic goals, commit to practicing sustainable consumption and building green families and communities. This form of citizenship, however, does not seek the expansion of rights and the enlargement of space for activism. This study offers fresh insights into research on citizenship, sustainable consumption and environmental activism in China.