Everyday Repression: Para-Police, Thugs, and Routine Coercion in China

• In Event: 3171 - Non-State Opposition to and Suppression of Social Movements

Abstract

This study proposes a new concept of “everyday repression” to describe the use of banal and low-level violence by states to carry out routine coercion against citizens and to acquire citizen’s compliance to unpopular policies. Much like James Scott’s everyday forms of resistance, “everyday repression” is prosaic and routine, and reflects states’ tactical wisdom when the use of official coercive forces is not practical. Unlike traditional overt repressive actions, “everyday repression” requires minimal planning and coordination, and low-level of organizational capacity. It is aimed at controlling the movements of poor and marginalized citizens living on the fringes of the society. This type of routine coercion to which states devote limited resources is relegated to the “street-level bureaucrats” and their contract workers who are non-state employees. In China, it is the para-police or chengguan, many of whom are poorly trained temporary personnel with thuggish background. In Latin America and other countries, it is often the poorly paid police force, many of which have links with criminal organizations. As such, undisciplined and excessive use of force by these “everyday repressors” is a common outcome. While “everyday repression” maybe an expedient means of control, it often reduces state legitimacy and increases the likelihood of resistance.

Author

• Lynette H. Ong, University of Toronto