Ideologies and framing labour activism in China

Contesting the views that overlook the role of ideology in Chinese labour resistance, this paper argues that ideology accounts for variations of labour activism not only in the perception of labour rights but also in goals and tactics. By using the framing theory, the study explores how ideology shapes labour activism in China. It demonstrates that as alternative ideologies are suppressed in society, labour activists have attempted to construct their distinctive action frames through appropriating the official ideology. The fragmentation of the official ideology provides activists with an opportunity to do so. Strategic framing efforts have produced three patterns of labour activism – moderate, liberal, and radical. Activists employ different strategies of framing alignment they consider most fitting for their exploitation of the official discourse and articulation of their narratives. While the three action frames resonate with workers in varying degrees, liberal activism and radical activism are less tolerated by the government because of their advocacy of collective actions.