Chinese Journal of Sociology ›› 2010, Vol. 30 ›› Issue (5): 121-141.

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SelfOrganizing and Law Abiding: Workers’ Collective Action Strategies to Defend Rights: A Case Study of Enterprise SNS in Shanghai

Author 1: Wu Tong, the School of Social Development, East China Normal University;Author 2:Wen Jun,The Center for Modern Chinese City Studies and the School of Social Development, East China Normal University   

  1. Author 1: Wu Tong, the School of Social Development, East China Normal University;作者2: 文军  华Author 2:Wen Jun,The Center for Modern Chinese City Studies and the School of Social Development, East China Normal University
  • Online:2010-09-20 Published:2010-09-20
  • Contact: Author 1: Wu Tong, the School of Social Development, East China Normal University E-mail: tongwu8000@hotmail.com;
  • About author:Author 1: Wu Tong, the School of Social Development, East China Normal University; Author 2:Wen Jun,The Center for Modern Chinese City Studies and the School of Social Development, East China Normal University

Abstract: In the Chinese institutional context, workers must weigh economic costs and political risks when fighting for their legal rights; thus, they have to come up with some “safe”, “effective”, and “sustainable” protesting means. This paper analyzes two rightdefending events by the workers in a manufacturing enterprise in Shanghai. The workers’ “selforganizing” and “law abiding” strategies not only provided them with organizational protection but also the legitimacy of action. The paper concludes with a discussion of this kind of protest strategies with the background of macrolevel social transition in China.

Key words:  defending rights according to the law , selforganizing , observing the law and regulations ,  protest strategies