Speaker: Ming-sho Ho, Distinguished Professor, Department of Sociology, National Taiwan University

How do ordinary citizens organize to push back against creeping authoritarianism in the wake of increased technological surveillance by government?  What happens when these protest efforts falter?  Drawing on an analysis of over 1700 events events and 189 interviews tied to Hong Kong’s 2019 Anti-Extradition Law movement, Professor Ho offers reflections on these questions based on the findings of his recent book. He highlights the dynamic at work as ordinary citizens attempt to exert their agency in the wake of political change and a government responds with repressive countermeasures. Join us for a discussion of a case study of Hong Kong’s unsuccessful 2019 protest movement and the lessons it may offer for ordinary citizens elsewhere hoping to push back against the state.