Political Behaviour/Sociology

F19(b) - Democracy and Social Movements

Date: Jun 14 | Time: 01:45pm to 03:15pm | Location: UQAM, Pavillon Hubert-Aquin (A), 400 Ste-Catherine E., classroom/local A-5020

Chair/Président/Présidente : Efe Peker (Université d'Ottawa)

Discussant/Commentateur/Commentatrice : Efe Peker (Université d'Ottawa)

Opinion dynamics on morality issues: party competition or culture shift?: Hugo Machado (University of Western Ontario)
Abstract: Morality issues contrast opinions about the appropriate level of regulation of controversial behaviours, typically involving value disputes over life and death, sex, and addictive behaviours. Much has changed in the last 60 years, but we still lack a general theory to understand opinion dynamics on these issues. Why does permissiveness vary between similar cultural or political contexts? Atkinson et al. (2021) propose that opinion change varies according to three issue types: partisan, nonpartisan, and cultural shift. Partisan issues are those for which the main parties offer opposing issue stances and frequent cues. Nonpartisan issues lack clear partisan division and movements in opinion either don’t happen or are affected by considerations other than party cues. In contrast, cultural shift issues reflect changing social norms that lead to a long-term reappraisal of previous policies and commonly accepted ideas. This leads to a monotonic trend that affects the entire party system over time. Instead of relative change that cycles based on party competition, cultural shift represents absolute opinion change that moves in only one direction. Since the original model was developed in the bipartisan context of American politics, an important test is to verify whether the same patterns appear in multiparty systems and under different cultural contexts. This project will use European Values Survey data spanning five decades (1981-2022) and 36 countries to investigate patterns of opinion movement on morality issues. This macro-analysis serves the purpose of identifying whether moral permissiveness is better explained by a cultural shift or by partisan/social dynamics model.

Délibérons ! Les organismes de la communauté franco-colombienne et la délibération démocratique dans l’environnement numérique: Aliyah Datoo (Simon Fraser University)
Abstract: Ce projet interprétatif explore le rôle des organismes communautaires dans la structuration des discussions en ligne au sein des communautés francophones en Colombie-Britannique. Il y a des limites en place dans le monde physique pour ces communautés, telles que la domination de l’anglais et la dispersion territoriale. Les réseaux sociaux reflètent en partie ces mêmes réalités mais permettent aussi dans une certaine mesure de leur échapper. Ils offrent aux utilisateurs non seulement la possibilité d’entrer en dialogue avec d’autres, mais aussi de définir collectivement leur communauté d’appartenance. La théorie de la délibération démocratique et les sphères publiques telles que conçues par Habermas servent de cadre théorique pour analyser la nature plus ou moins démocratique des discours en ligne. À travers des entretiens semi-dirigés avec des employé.es des organismes à but non-lucratif de la communauté franco-colombienne qui contribuent au dialogue sur les réseaux sociaux, je vise à comprendre la façon dont les communications (re)produisent la communauté en ligne. La recherche explorera dans quelle mesure les réseaux sociaux offrent un espace pour les utilisateurs dans cette communauté de se parler entre eux, et le rôle des organisations communautaires dans ces discussions.

Protest with Canadian Characteristics: Comparing post-Umbrella Movement Activism among the Hong Kong Diaspora in Canada: Yu-Chen Chen (York University)
Abstract: The Chinese regime’s anti-democracy crackdowns of 2019-2020 generated an upsurge in Hong Kongers seeking to leave their homeland; and the Canadian authorities opened the door to them in 2021. Unlike previous generations of the Hong Kong diaspora, this wave is faced with the challenges of how to preserve Hong Kong’s unique culture and maintain the momentum of their protest movement while living in Canada. Consequently, since 2019, several new NGOs and grassroots groups related to Hong Kong contemporary issues, such as language, human rights and political autonomy, emerged in different major cities across the country. This research aims to explore how these grassroots groups seek to mobilize the Hong Kong diaspora and advance their political and cultural agenda in Canada. By surveying events hosted in Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Montreal and interviewing activists and organizers who have been politically active in Canada since 2019, this research examines and compares how diaspora groups adapt their strategies to local political and cultural realities. The study will enrich the Canadian literature on Hong Kong diaspora studies and fill a longstanding gap; where the Hong Kong diaspora is typically represented in the literature as one united bloc, a survey of the contemporary field of new grassroots movements reveals a rich diversity of beliefs and modes of protest, all of which are heavily influenced by personal experiences, socioeconomic backgrounds, and most importantly: interactions with the authorities back in Hong Kong.