Rongbin Han's guest appearances

Rongbin Han

NCUSCR Events

NCUSCR Interviews

Oxford Society for International Development

Lenora Chu

Peggy Blumenthal

Michael Green

Henry Kissinger

David Zweig

Sheena Greitens

Sara Hsu

Scott Seligman

Derek Grossman

Robert Blackwill

Arthur Kroeber

Yuen Yuen Ang

Mary Gallagher

Gary Liu

Michelle Vosper

OwlTail

Is censorship ever effective? What methods do the Chinese government use to censor the internet? Why does the Chinese government believe in censorship, and why do so many people in China agree? In the second half of this two-part series on internet censorship in China, Jemima talks to Rongbin Han about social, political, and economic factors that lead to censorship, and its wider implications both in China and worldwide. The speaker, Rongbin Han, is an Associate Professor at the Department of International Affairs, University of Georgia. His research interests center on regime transition, media politics and social activism in authoritarian regimes, with an area focus on China. He is the author of "Contesting Cyberspace in China: Online Expression and Authoritarianism Resilience" (Columbia University Press, 2018) as well as a number of journal articles and book chapters. Interview by Jemima Sinclair. Music by Lorcan Cudlip Cook. Learn more about the Oxford Society for International Development at oxsid.org

Is censorship ever effective? What methods do the Chinese government use to censor the internet? Why does the Chinese government believe in censorship, and why do so many people in China agree? In the second half of this two-part series on internet censorship in China, Jemima talks to Rongbin Han about social, political, and economic factors that lead to censorship, and its wider implications both in China and worldwide. The speaker, Rongbin Han, is an Associate Professor at the Department of International Affairs, University of Georgia. His research interests center on regime transition, media politics and social activism in authoritarian regimes, with an area focus on China. He is the author of "Contesting Cyberspace in China: Online Expression and Authoritarianism Resilience" (Columbia University Press, 2018) as well as a number of journal articles and book chapters. Interview by Jemima Sinclair. Music by Lorcan Cudlip Cook. Learn more about the Oxford Society for International Development at <a href="https://oxsid.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">oxsid.org</a>

“Internet Censorship in China” (Part 2/2) with Rongbin Han

The events of the Arab Spring in 2011 demonstrated the potential effect that social media can have when used as a catalyst for social change. In the wake of the uprisings, rumors spread across the Chinese internet of a so-called ‘Jasmine Revolution’ aimed at overthrowing the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), prompting a swift government crackdown across both the physical and digital worlds. Since then, as Chinese social media outlets such as Weibo and Weixin have exploded in popularity, the Chinese government has relied upon an expansive censorship apparatus to monitor and suppress potential unrest of Chinese netizens. In a new book, Contesting Cyberspace in China: Online Expression and Authoritarian Resilience, Professor Rongbin Han explores the restrictions imposed on Chinese netizens, and analyzes the activity of hired trolls, including the “fifty-cent army,” who flood Chinese social media platforms with nationalistic messages.  On November 26, as Professor Han discussed his book, and outlined how the state, along with individual netizens, curtail online expression and allow for the Chinese government to withstand internal pressures.   Rongbin Han is an assistant professor in the department of international affairs at the University of Georgia. He received MA and PhD degrees in political science from the University of California, Berkeley, a master’s degree in social sciences from the National University of Singapore, and a bachelor’s degree in international politics from Peking University.

The events of the Arab Spring in 2011 demonstrated the potential effect that social media can have when used as a catalyst for social change. In the wake of the uprisings, rumors spread across the Chinese internet of a so-called ‘Jasmine Revolution’ aimed at overthrowing the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), prompting a swift government crackdown across both the physical and digital worlds. Since then, as Chinese social media outlets such as Weibo and Weixin have exploded in popularity, the Chinese government has relied upon an expansive censorship apparatus to monitor and suppress potential unrest of Chinese netizens. In a new book, Contesting Cyberspace in China: Online Expression and Authoritarian Resilience, Professor Rongbin Han explores the restrictions imposed on Chinese netizens, and analyzes the activity of hired trolls, including the “fifty-cent army,” who flood Chinese social media platforms with nationalistic messages.  On November 26, as Professor Han discussed his book, and outlined how the state, along with individual netizens, curtail online expression and allow for the Chinese government to withstand internal pressures. Rongbin Han is an assistant professor in the department of international affairs at the University of Georgia. He received MA and PhD degrees in political science from the University of California, Berkeley, a master’s degree in social sciences from the National University of Singapore, and a bachelor’s degree in international politics from Peking University.

Rongbin Han: Contesting Cyberspace in China

In this interview, Professor Rongbin Han discusses his new book, Contesting Cyberspace in China, with Senior Director for Education Programs Margot Landman. He talks about his experiences a university student in China at the dawn of the Internet, the Internet's relation to democracy as well as illiberal discourse, and the role of the "50-Cent Army" on Chinese social media. 

In this interview, Professor Rongbin Han discusses his new book, Contesting Cyberspace in China, with Senior Director for Education Programs Margot Landman. He talks about his experiences a university student in China at the dawn of the Internet, the Internet's relation to democracy as well as illiberal discourse, and the role of the "50-Cent Army" on Chinese social media.

Rongbin Han on the Internet in China