Historicizing Online Politics: Telegraphy, the Internet, and Political Participation in China

It is widely recognized that internet technology has had a profound effect on political participation in China, but this new use of technology is not unprecedented in Chinese history. This is a pioneering work that systematically describes and analyzes the manner in which the Chinese used telegraphy during the late Qing, and the internet in the contemporary period, to participate in politics.

Drawing upon insights from the fields of anthropology, history, political science, and media studie...