New Books Network Taru Salmenkari, "Global Ideas, Local Adaptations: Chinese Activism and the Will to Make Civil Society" (Edward Elgar, 2025)
Oct 24, 2025
Taru Salmenkari, a senior researcher at the University of Helsinki, delves into the intricate world of Chinese civil society in her latest work. She discusses how Chinese NGOs have adapted global political values to local contexts, influenced by Confucian traditions. Salmenkari explores gay self-organizing, highlighting contrasts between formal events like Shanghai Pride and grassroots gatherings. She challenges conventional definitions of political action, presenting community-building as a form of activism. Additionally, she introduces the concept of Minjian, emphasizing its significance in grassroots movements.
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Global Origins Met Local Agency
- NGOs in China arrived via global aid and democracy-promotion channels but were also adopted by Chinese actors with their own intentions.
- Local actors and the state both saw NGOs as useful, producing diverse, non-linear outcomes of globalization.
Confucian Logics Shape NGO Work
- Confucian values like family networks and moral self-cultivation shaped early NGO practices and resource access.
- These values produced cooperative, networked strategies that differ from Western liberal civil society models.
Moral Self-Improvement Over Representation
- Confucian ideals emphasize improving the self, family, then society rather than representing others publicly.
- This inward-to-outward moral logic explains why some Chinese NGOs avoid agonistic, adversarial tactics.
