Nationalism in Chinese cyberspace

This article takes reactions to atrocities committed against ethnic Chinese during the riots that swept Indonesia in May 1998 as a case study by which to analyse the politics of nationalism in Chinese cyberspace. By focusing on Chinese website activity during the weeks that led up to an unauthorised demonstration on the Indonesian embassy by students from Peking University, it provides insights into how the Internet can be used to disseminate information, organise political action and express dissent in an authoritarian society. It concludes, however, that this case combined with more recent examples indicates that cyber-politics is more likely to be used to promote nationalism than liberal democracy, the former being far more difficult to suppress than the latter for a regime whose legitimacy depends increasingly on nationalist claims.