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Part of
Contemporary Chinese Discourse and Social Practice in China
Edited by Linda Tsung and Wei Wang
[Studies in Chinese Language and Discourse 4] 2015
► pp. 27–44

Discourse and the Development of Public Sphere in China

A Law Case Study

This article examines public debate over the Wu Ying lawsuit case during February and March 2012. In particular, it investigates discursive strategies made use of by the public to form public opinion and to operate with on the Internet. Starting from the CDA premise that discourse is constitutive in social practice and Habermas’ conceptualization of public sphere, the article brings the discursive strategies deployed into a discussion in relation to the complexity of the discourse and the development of the public sphere in China. It is found that the Internet-related new media devices contribute to the development of a public sphere in China, and their contribution is facilitated by the deliberate use of discursive strategies as social practice.

Published online: 9 October 2015
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https://doi.org/10.1075/scld.4.03tia
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