Ruby YS Lai
in Gender and Politics Reimagined: Centring Oceanic and Asian Lenses (Tanya Jakimow, Margaret Jolly, Sonia Palmieri, and Ramona Vijeyarasa, eds.), pp. 325-349.
Australian National University Press, December 2025
Abstract: This chapter explores the impact of changing political climates on women’s movement by focusing on feminist advocacy in post-colonial Hong Kong. It reflects on the developmental trajectory of the territory’s feminist movement in the pre- and post-handover era and identifies the structural challenges that threaten the sustainability of feminist movement, which include the emergence of right-leaning nativism and the expansion of authoritarian governance in recent years. The chapter draws on the concept of self-limiting movement – a non-confrontational approach that advocates for radical social changes through non-violent tactics without directly opposing the political regime, to explore how feminists adjust their advocacy in relation to the shifting political culture and sustain themselves in a politically uncertain future. This article contributes insights to the development of the roles and tactics of feminist advocacy in the context of social movement abeyance and electoral authoritarianism.
About the author: Ruby YS Lai is a HYI Visiting Scholar from 2025-26.