Democracy and inequality : Hong Kong's identity politics and its implications for local civic education

Abstract

This qualitative empirical study draws upon Marxist conflict perspective to understand the identity politics of Hong Kong in the post-97 era. This identity politics sees the Hong Kong-China tension which is increasingly affected by the deeper social, economic inequality in Hong Kong’s own society; and it is ultimately expressed in the form of political struggles, demanding for electoral democracy as the solution to both economic and identity problems. The research poses the following questions to explore the identity politics. To what extent and how has the social, economic inequality affected the Hong Kong-China tension in the recent years? Whether or not and why do Hong Kong’s people believe electoral democracy is necessary to solve inequality and to further settle the Hong Kong-China tension? How do Hong Kong’s young people understand the concepts of inequality, democracy and their relation? What is the role of local civic education in influencing their understanding of these concepts? Data are mainly collected from the broad social conflicts of Hong Kong recently and the Umbrella Movement of 2014 in particular. Main methods include participant observation, individual interview, and using the existing public information.

The study finds, among the multi-dimensional factors, the economic inequality and livelihood downturn affects the Hong Kong-China tension to the greatest extent. Drawing upon Marxist conflict theory, the study finds that underpinning the social, economic inequality is the fundamental conflict of interests between the local ruling class and the mass grassroots; and the root cause of such class conflict is Hong Kong’s capitalist economy which features land oligopoly, ‘free’ market and a philosophy of developmentalism. However, instead of questioning the capitalist structure, Hong Kong’s people blame the economic and livelihood problems on the influx of the mainland Chinese and China’s governance and thereby transform the intrinsic class conflict into an identity clash. A pervasive belief sees electoral democracy as necessary to solve both economic and identity problems. With Marxist perspective, the study argues there is a mismatch between local people’s concerns about economic inequality and their request for political democracy.

The study further finds the local young demonstrate a vague understanding of inequality, democracy and their relation. Two main reasons are found through a subsequent study of the local civic education. The provision of normative knowledge of democracy and inequality in formal and informal civic education is neither adequate nor attractive to students. The non-formal civic education especially mass and social media influence students’ understandings of democracy and inequality to the greatest extent. However, discourses on these channels prove to be overwhelmingly personal vent or comments, without sufficient rational exploration of the relevant concepts.

The study hence has implications for economic, political and educational reforms, and thereafter for improving the Hong Kong-China tension. It is suggested that class analysis be brought back to the mainstream public discourses so that Hong Kong’s people could be aware of the structural problem. Only when a reform of the capitalist system is given a due regard can the economic, political and identity contradictions find a way out.