The Umbrella Movement: Civil Resistance and Contentious Space in Hong Kong is a 2019 non-fiction collection of essays about the Umbrella Movement, edited by Ngok Ma and Edmund W. Cheng and published by Amsterdam University Press.
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Ben Bland of The Lowy Institute stated that the book counters disinformation from the Chinese central government and pro-Beijing entities which govern Hong Kong. Bland also stated that the book explains why Hong Kong people participated in the movement.[1]
Background
editA total of 15 people wrote articles for this publication, with some being sole authors and others teaming with other authors,[2] with the majority being located in Hong Kong. Field work was done by those located in Hong Kong.[3]
Contents
editPart 1 describes how the movement was created. The history of political movements in favor of a democratic form of government in the territory are described in the initial chapter of the book.[4] Part 2 includes information on what tactics were used in the movement.[3] Part 3 describes the reactions taken by Hong Kong people and the Hong Kong government.[5] Comparisons to other movements in Chinese speaking areas are in the final part.[6]
Reception
editBland stated that "is a valiant effort" to examine the protests,[1] and that it is "a valuable addition to the literature."[7] Bland argued that the authors of the essays should have added more exploration of how a Hong Kong identity was built.[7]
Agnes S Ku of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology argued that the book reads with "considerable cohesion" despite having a diverse authorship and subject coverage.[2]
Eva PW Hung of Hang Seng University of Hong Kong described it as a "must-read".[8]
Lev Nachman of University of California, Irvine wrote that the authors of the work "accomplish the difficult task of" keeping focus on a single topic whilst taking many essays from different fields of study and "combining" them "in a comprehensive and meaningful way".[9] He added that the essays were difficult to compare as they had so many disparate "approaches and topics" and that he wished the authors focused on their respective areas of education.[10]
Stephan Ortmann of City University of Hong Kong stated the book was "highly recommended and should be essential reading for anyone interested in Hong Kong."[11] He had some criticism of part 4.[12]
References
edit- Bland, Ben (December 2020). "THE UMBRELLA MOVEMENT: Civil Resistance and Contentious Space in Hong Kong. Global Asia". Pacific Affairs. 93 (4): 807–809.
- Hung, Eva PW (2020-10-10). "Book review: The Umbrella Movement: Civil Resistance and Contentious Space in Hong Kong". China Information. 34 (3): 436–. doi:10.1177/0920203X20953040f. S2CID 222278654.
- Ku, Agnes S (2021-01-01). "The Umbrella Movement: Civil Resistance and Contentious Space in Hong Kong, edited by Ngok Ma and Edmund W. Cheng. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2019. 355 pp. €105.00 (cloth)". The China Journal. 85. Canberra, A.C.T.: 247–249. doi:10.1086/711549. S2CID 234276881.
- Nachman, Lev (2020). "The Umbrella Movement: Civil Resistance and Contentious Space in Hong Kong, by Ngok Ma and Edmund W. Cheng (eds.)". Asian Journal of Social Science. 48 (3/4): 406–408. doi:10.1163/15685314-04803014. S2CID 225249952.
- Ortmann, Stephan (March 2020). "The Umbrella Movement: Civil Resistance and Contentious Space in Hong Kong Ngok Ma and Edmund W. Cheng Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2019 335 pp. €109.00 ISBN 978-94-6298-456-1". The China Quarterly. 241. London: 268–270. doi:10.1017/S0305741020000077. S2CID 213317458.
Notes
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