A nascent social movement : a case study of the #MeToo movement in Mainland China

Abstract

In spite of the popularity of the global #MeToo movement, there has been little research on the movement in mainland China related to the concept of social movement. This research aimed to understand the emergence and limitations of online collective behaviour in regard to its enabling conditions as well as the challenges faced by China’s nascent #MeToo movement. Value-added theory of collective behaviour and its six conditions (structural conduciveness, structural strain, generalized belief, precipitating factors, mobilization for action, social control) are adopted to analyze the #MeToo movement in mainland China. The research is based on four representative cases in China’s #MeToo movement, which are used for critical instance case studies. The research findings illustrated six stages of collective behaviour in four cases with its effects. The research found that China's #MeToo Movement does not meet all the conditions of the value-added theory; therefore, it can only be called a nascent movement. However, it was also found that there are different trajectories in the #MeToo movement in the academic setting and workplace setting in mainland China. In the academic setting, there is more leeway to support victims with the voice of #MeToo, while in workplace, victims who speak up through #MeToo face more challenges from the slut-shaming culture and weak legal system.