Defining the line between center and periphery: the foreign criminal as symbol of sovereignty in contemporary China

"In this paper, I examine the Chinese government's treatment of foreigners within its borders, contrasting the high-profile case of British national Akmal Shaikh with the on-the-ground situation, where foreigners generally receive lenient treatment from the police. I argue that this dichotomy parallels the Mainland government’s position towards Taiwan and Hong Kong, where de jure sovereignty is prioritized over de facto control. In explaining how some foreign criminals like Shaikh are moved from the periphery to the center of the government’s attention, I highlight the potential that such cases provide the Communist Party of China's leadership to assert their power on the global stage and to cement their legitimacy in the eyes of their own populace. Building on work done by Tim Liao and others on China's rhetorical strategies in issues of contested sovereignty, I will show how the Chinese media uses its portrayal of select foreign criminals as political symbols to fuel the government's ""memory project"" regarding China’s relationship with Western countries. By examining how this constructed national memory is related to contemporary issues of crime and diplomacy, we can better understand how Chinese leadership understands and performs sovereignty."

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

East Asian Studies

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2016

Author dc:creator

• Case, Josiah David

Contributors dc:contributor

• Martin, Jeffrey T.

• China
• Sovereignty

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2016 Josiah Case

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/90595

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/90595