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Cited by 124Hong Kong and Taiwan PoliticsSocial Media and PoliticsLatin American socio-political dynamics

Explaining spontaneous occupation: antecedents, contingencies and spaces in the Umbrella Movement

Cheng, Edmund W., Chan, Wai-Yin·2017·Social Movement Studies
DOI 10.1080/14742837.2016.1252667
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Abstract

This paper examines the antecedent and contingent causes sparking the Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong. Spurred by two contingent events generating pre-emptive and backlash mobilization, the movement is a spontaneous transformation of the staged Occupy Central campaign. Based on an onsite survey (n = 1681) and in-depth interviews (n = 18), this paper demonstrates how protest experience and social media networked and rallied autonomous individuals from diverse backgrounds to occupy the physical spaces, thereby sustaining a self-mobilized, horizontal and resilient movement. Spontaneity, however, did not come out of nowhere. As an integral part of Hong Kong’s bottom-up activism and ecology, this spontaneous episode encapsulates antecedent events diffusing stalwart actors, decentralized organization and transgressive repertories. This paper situates spontaneity in temporal, spatial and emotional contexts to understand the uncompromising claims and participatory practices of the spectacular occupation.

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Crossref · 10.1080/14742837.2016.1252667

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  • Mobilization after state repression of collective action is often a spontaneous, reflexive response.

    “Relatedly, research on the repression-backlash nexus suggests that mobilization after state repression of collective action is often a spontaneous, reflexive response.”

    From Coordinated Dis-Coordination (2024) · cites this paper as Cheng and Chan 2017

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Authors
Cheng, E. W., & Chan, W.-Y.
Affiliations
  • Hong Kong Baptist University (HK)
  • Department of Government and Public Administration, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
Corresponding author
Cheng, Edmund W.
ORCID
Cheng, Edmund W.
Venue
Social Movement Studies
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2016-11-10
Volume
16
Issue
2
Pages
222-239
ISSN
  • 1474-2829 (ISSN-L)
  • 1474-2837
DOI
10.1080/14742837.2016.1252667
OpenAlex
W2549810001
Cited by
124
References
48
Citations by year
2026: 14 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 23 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 22 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 1
FWCI
28.59
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
Social movement studies (publishedVersion)
Funders
Research Grants Council, University Grants Committee (UGC/FDS16/H04/14)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Hong Kong and Taiwan Politics
  • Social Sciences › Communication › Social Media and Politics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Latin American socio-political dynamics
Keywords
Umbrella Movement, Occupy Central, protest mobilization, social media, horizontal organization, decentralized organizations, Hong Kong protests

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