Researcher ORCID Identifier
0009-0005-3943-0029
Graduation Year
2025
Date of Submission
12-2025
Document Type
Campus Only Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
International Relations
Reader 1
Jennifer Taw
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
@2025 Shengdi Ge
Abstract
Mainstream social movement theories are largely grounded in Western democratic contexts, where collective organizations, formal leadership, and public protest are treated as the central elements of a movement. This thesis argues that such frameworks obscure how social movements emerge and operate under authoritarian rule. Focusing on feminist mobilization in contemporary China—where collective action has evolved into a genuine social movement despite the absence of formal leadership or sustained in-person protest—it contends that existing theories fail to capture forms of activism that are decentralized, digitally mediated, and politically constrained. As a result, movements shaped by authoritarian conditions are often denied recognition as authentic forms of collective action, and the individuals involved are rendered invisible as active political agents or unable to make sense of their own participation. To address these limitations, an expanded framework for understanding social movements beyond democratic institutional settings is necessary.
Recommended Citation
Ge, Shengdi, "Activism without Protest: Digital Feminism and the Limits of Social Movement Theory" (2025). CMC Senior Theses. 4283.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/4283
This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.
