"Hong Kong Protests Told Through 'Small Subjects'"

April 27, 2021

This book records how 14 individuals from different backgrounds experienced the protests and political turmoil in Hong Kong since 2019. The author repeatedly asked the 14 individuals questions and had them describe their feelings about the Hong Kong protests in detail. Furthermore, the book touches on each author's upbringing and social position in detail, allowing readers to follow how their thoughts were formed in Hong Kong, a place where people from diverse backgrounds live.

Hong Kong, which is attracting attention as a flashpoint in US-China relations, is often discussed using "large subjects" such as "President Xi Jinping" or "President Trump." What happened in Hong Kong, what the local people thought, and the life stories that formed their backgrounds are rarely told, which is why I planned this book to talk about the Hong Kong protests through "small subjects." The large-scale protests that occurred throughout Hong Kong and sometimes escalated, along with the violent clashes with the police, had a major impact on people's daily lives, making it impossible to remain uninvolved. Society was deeply divided by support or opposition to the protests, and every social space in Hong Kong became politicized. This book depicts how a wide variety of relationships—schools, churches, romance, sign language classes, and a cappella groups—became politicized.

Not limited to Hong Kong, various social divisions and polarizations are occurring around the world, and through editing this book, the author realized how "large subjects" create them. For example, in Hong Kong, protest supporters are categorized as yellow and government supporters as blue, but there should inherently be various thoughts even among those labeled yellow or blue. However, color-coding divides society into two and ignores the diversity within each color. "Small subjects" also lead to the dismantling of such color-coding.

SFC, where I spent my undergraduate years, deals with various fields, and all laboratories share a common focus on the field. I realized the importance of carefully picking up words from the field during my undergraduate years, and this becomes even more important in an era overflowing with discourse based on "large subjects." I hope this book reaches not only those interested in Hong Kong but also those interested in narratives through such "small subjects."

"Hong Kong Protests Told Through 'Small Subjects'"

Daichi Ishii (Editor)

Gendai Jinbunsha

432 pages, 4,070 yen (tax included)

*Affiliations and titles are as of the time of publication.