Kenneth W. Foster

• GS 117 - Systems, Policies, and Institutions: An Introduction to Global Studies
• PSC 256 - Comparative Politics
• PSC 328 - The Politics of Development
• PSC 338 - Chinese Politics
• PSC 380 - Citizen Engagement and Activism
• PSC 380 - Comparative and Global Environmental Politics

Chinese Politics, focusing on associations and NGOs, environmental and sustainability politics, local government, and administrative reform.

Global and comparative environmental politics.

The politics of socioeconomic development.

Citizen engagement. participatory and deliberative democracy.

See "Academic Vita" link at the top right of this page for more information.

Currently working on a book project. The book will be titled Citizen Activism in China and is under contract with Polity Press to be published in 2013. A preliminary synopsis of the book from the proposal:

Contemporary China provides fertile ground for the investigation into citizen activism on which this book will center. Over the past 15 years true NGOs have emerged onto the scene to pursue activities in a variety of issue areas. At the same time, popular protests have become an enduring feature of the socio-political landscape, with the protestors ranging from poor farmers to well-off urban apartment owners. Individual activists, including lawyers and journalists, have waged longer-term struggles to force positive state action on social issues such as AIDS, pollution, local-level corruption. And, lastly, the movement for political liberalization and democracy (for systemic political change) rumbles along both within and outside of China. All of this activity occurs in the context of an extremely complex and highly fragmented party-state that provides for numerous points of contact and allows for the use of diverse kinds of activist strategies. Developing a comprehensive understanding of civil society and citizen activism in China requires an integrative approach that assesses how diverse people and organizations interact with the various pieces of the party-state. This inquiry is not just important so we can understand this critical aspect of China's internal sociopolitical situation and how it affects China's future. It also promises to illuminate insights that can be useful to students of citizen activism in other countries, be they scholars or practitioners. After all, Chinese NGOs, protesters, and activists have developed sophisticated strategies, tactics, and philosophies. For undergraduate students who may be (and should be) reflecting on how they may become engaged in making a positive impact on their world in their future careers, a focus on concrete varieties of citizen activism vis-a-vis the Chinese party-state gives the double payoff of leading to a deeper understanding of China while also providing practical insights. 

The overarching argument of the book consists of several pieces. First, instead of attempting to ascertain the existence or health of a civil society that can push China towards democracy, it is more insightful if observers of China frame analysis on the more concrete domain of citizen activism. Second, when one examines citizen activism in China, one finds a vibrant sphere of activity in which diverse sets of people interact with diverse parts of the party-state. Third, the party-state, characterized by complex fragmentation, presents citizens with a distinctive array of opportunities and constraints. Fourth, organizations, groups, and individuals have developed an array of strategies and tactics as they have sought to pursue their goals and to create a better society. It should be noted here that the book will be very careful not to present an exaggerated picture of the robustness and power of civil society and citizen activism in contemporary China. The party-state - all of its pieces and affiliated organizations - still dominates socioeconomic policy. Citizen activism still deserves close scrutiny because it represents one of the most dynamic and forward-looking aspects of China's ongoing transformation.

The interior chapters of the book will focus on examining the nature of the party-state, NGOs, protests and collective action, individual activists, and the movement for systemic political change. In each of these chapters, attention will be paid to the historical context and change over time. One point to be made in this regard is that, for each form of activism, the role and use of the internet will be analyzed. Each chapter will also include discussion of relevant international dimensions - for example, of linkages between Chinese and foreign NGOs. Lastly, a number of key issue areas such as the environment, human health, official wrongdoing (including but not limited to corruption), and women's empowerment will resurface in multiple chapters.

The book will primarily aim to be accessible and interesting for undergraduates, but will also be eye-opening and inspiring for the general reader and useful for scholars interested in civil society, citizen activism, China, and state-society relations in non-democratic contexts.