Indiscernable coloniality versus inarticulate decolonization : the dynamics of community building processes in Wanchai

Abstract

This thesis studies the formation of an indiscernable coloniality through the contextualization of mundane quotidian lives at the community level in Hong Kong. Unlike most research on post-colonial Hong Kong which analyzes the challenges and problems from a macro perspective focusing on governance and collaborations of the elite class, this thesis focuses on the culture of coloniality that is deeply ingrained in the operational logic of everyday life and embedded as an unnoticeable common sense and internalized value.

Being an elected member of the Wan Chai District Council between 2004-2007, the author gained first-hand experience and insights on how coloniality operated. She argues that coloniality is a state of mind when the colonized people define themselves in terms of colonialism and take on the common sense of the colonizers as their own. In this thesis, the author shows how coloniality permeates through political and economic community building initiatives by the Eight Community Building Key Players, such as the District Administration Scheme and its Departmental District Managers, the Urban Redevelopment Consortium, Kaifong Associations, District based Territory-wide Organizations, Beijing Affiliates and Civil Society.

A substantial part of the research focuses on how these CBP players have molded, enhanced, changed or modified the physical landscape, the way of life or the value system of the community. It shows that except for civil society, all CBPs have collaborated in one way or the other and formed a symbiotic disciplinary control network. By employing the tactics of divide and rule, biopolitics of control, and ‘feeding the baby with an empty spoon’, this control network manipulates the community to serve political and economic purposes. The thesis argues that under this network, Hongkongers unnoticeably developed a colonial form of subjectivity that takes pride in colonial ruling and a pro-growth operational logic.

Lastly, after analyzing the best practices of civil society’s experiences in community building in Wanchai, this thesis argues that a bottom-up and empowering community building is one of the most crucial ways of building a possible model for decolonization, and this model must include the intellectualization of the society, democratic participation, the development of culture and public space, and rekindling of the chivalrous spirit. It also argues that where the subaltern-elites stand and how soft powers are used will make a big difference in decolonization.