David Stroup
@davidstroup.bsky.social
1.8K followers 320 following 240 posts
Sr. Lecturer of Chinese Politics at the University of Manchester. Researching the everyday politics of ethnicity under authoritarianism and Islamophobia in the PRC.
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Reposted by David Stroup
goofrider.bsky.social
"Human Centipede of content" is a legit banger
chibdm.bsky.social
Robin Williams' daughter has some quality thoughts on AI slop
Reposted by David Stroup
utopia-defer.red
This stuff is plainly evil and it’s frankly comical that so many people stand to defend it from even a technical perspective under present conditions.
drewharwell.com
The Sora AI disinfo nightmare is here

For more like this:
tiktok.com/@drewharwell
instagram.com/bydrewharwell
Reposted by David Stroup
niaocollective.bsky.social
At the end of the Umbrella Movement in 2014, HKers created this banner: We’ll be back

Maybe it was just dreamers talking, but… we kept that promise.
Banner saying “we’ll be back” laid out on a road, held down by traffic cones as people walked by and looked on. In the background are tents. Photo taken during Umbrella Movement in 2014
Reposted by David Stroup
tompepinsky.com
Przeworski says it cleanly, clearly, and convincingly.

What then must we do?

www.dissentmagazine.org/article/how-...
The Democratic establishment is clearly betting that Republicans will offer them an electoral victory while they attend the wedding parties of billionaires. The only vision for the Democratic Party originates from its left wing, which is vigorously censured by its mainstream. It may well be that the Democratic leadership is correct in thinking that the best strategy is to do nothing and waiting for MAGA to fail. But this, like MAGA, is a “back again” ideology, one of “restoring” democracy rather than transforming the conditions that generated the present disaster. To restore democracy, it needs to be reformed. This is the project we need.
Reposted by David Stroup
ytsl.bsky.social
So much for the promise to "Let Hong Kong be Hong Kong" and have "a high degree of autonomy" for 50 years.
accidentalflyer.bsky.social
So at an industry forum the HKTDC rep actually came out with a clear message, that Hong Kong is a "small place, the future is with the Great Bay Area" that's why all the economic initiatives by HKG is now joint with China.
So much for no changes for 50 years...
Reposted by David Stroup
mtacalendar.bsky.social
Sun:
The 28th of September will mark 11 years since the start of the Umbrella Revolution in Hong Kong which demanded universal suffrage. Key areas in Admiralty, Causeway Bay and Mong Kok were occupied for 77 days.
5/
Protesters open their umbrellas, symbols of pro-democracy movement, as they mark exactly one month since they took the streets in Hong Kong's financial central district October 28, 2014. Protester stands amidst clouds of tear gas holding two umbrellas Police fire tear gas into crowds of protesters. Thousands of protesters flash lights at night outside HKSARG HQ
Reposted by David Stroup
ryanhk.blue
Don’t usually have a problem with “anti-government” but it could be misleading here. We don’t have to wonder what drove the protests — they had 5 clear demands.

You could say HK’s housing is symptomatic of the system they opposed but this is just a wire piece. “Pro-democracy” might’ve been clearer.
Reposted by David Stroup
niaocollective.bsky.social
But also, lol, what is the Bertrand guy even talking about
chenchenzhang.net
even though I have an entire research programme on the kind of binary narrative exemplified by the post (China this "the west" that, I even have a forthcoming book on it), at this point I find it extremely boring. and social media is horrible. bc this kind of stuff guarantees virality.
X post: One interesting difference I've noticed between the West and China, that few speak about, is the difference in approach when it comes to narrative management.

To a large extent the West's approach is to change the narrative in order to change reality, whereas China's approach is almost the opposite: change reality in order to change the narrative. It's basically materialism vs idealism.
Reposted by David Stroup
chenchenzhang.net
even though I have an entire research programme on the kind of binary narrative exemplified by the post (China this "the west" that, I even have a forthcoming book on it), at this point I find it extremely boring. and social media is horrible. bc this kind of stuff guarantees virality.
X post: One interesting difference I've noticed between the West and China, that few speak about, is the difference in approach when it comes to narrative management.

To a large extent the West's approach is to change the narrative in order to change reality, whereas China's approach is almost the opposite: change reality in order to change the narrative. It's basically materialism vs idealism.
davidstroup.bsky.social
Friends in Manchester. Come and see the work that Jolynna Sinanan and I have been doing with Konger FC 曼城 as part of UoM’s Festival of Social Sciences. Saturday, November 1, 2025 from 17:30-19:00

在曼切斯特的朋友:我們請你來參加我們關於KongerFC足球隊的攝影展首映,11月1日(週六),17:30-19:00
Reposted by David Stroup
Reposted by David Stroup
madeinchinajournal.com
Neither fully accepted nor entirely apart, the descendants of foreigners in China embody the tensions of identity in a globalised yet nationalistic age. Chengzhi Zhang traces their struggles for belonging and what this reveals about the boundaries of Chineseness.
Flowing without Roots: The Identity Crisis of Foreigners’ Descendants in Mainland China | Made in China Journal
In 2009, a woman named Lou Jing, born to a Chinese mother and an African American father, went on a TV show in China and declared herself a proud and patriotic Chinese person (Leung 2015). Her remarks...
madeinchinajournal.com
Reposted by David Stroup
remotexuar.bsky.social
How do the socio-political dynamics of #Islamophobia 🕌 on #China's social media help establish boundaries of Chinese #national identity?

@davidstroup.bsky.social will address this issue at the upcoming Inner #Asia #Colloquium on 29 September at 15:00 CET: www.remote-xuar.com/events/loath...
davidstroup.bsky.social
MAN>LHR>YVR for #APSA2025. Give me a shout if you’re in Vancouver!
Reposted by David Stroup
redderbeanpaste.bsky.social
I wanna point out that even though china isn’t democratic Xi has basically tossed the succession system the party previously used and is just gonna be there indefinitely
carlquintanilla.bsky.social
“.. Quite a hot mic moment on CCTV in Beijing today as Putin and Xi, both 72 years old, are caught casually talking about living to 150 and maybe forever thanks to organ transplants. (As picked up by Bloomberg.)”

(via @yarotrof.bsky.social)
davidstroup.bsky.social
Ah, yeah ok. I can see that.
davidstroup.bsky.social
Glad to get my hands on a copy of this excellent volume from David O’Brien and Melissa Shani Brown. Excellent comprehensive introduction to identity and politics in Xinjiang .
davidstroup.bsky.social
Who’s the person they’re suggesting would surpass Thatcher?
davidstroup.bsky.social
Really pleased to get my hands on this amazing retro shirt which arrived yesterday from Shandong Luneng Taishan FC (who I used to go see play when I lived in Jinan).
davidstroup.bsky.social
Oh admittedly I’m pretty under-read here. Most of my IR training was in the classic U.S. style structuralist vein. Heavy emphasis on neorealist and neoliberal perspectives. Some constructivism. Less so for other stuff.
davidstroup.bsky.social
Very interesting. Is normative power in this case seen as related to (or maybe correlated with?) cultural or “soft” power? Or is it just completely different?
davidstroup.bsky.social
It’s so true. I have seen too many “capitalism with US characteristics” comments for my liking since he rolled out his latest attempt at economic.
davidstroup.bsky.social
*sobbing* : it’s time to make the donuts
Reposted by David Stroup
xunlingau.bsky.social
Today Indian police personnel detain Tibetan Youth Congress activists as they took part in a protest against the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to India, outside the Chinese embassy in New Delhi, India

(Photo's via @mizzimadailynews.substack.com)
Female protester with Tibetan Flag tied around her neck is pulled away by 3 female officers of the Indian police  Man in black t-shirt holding Tibetan flag being escorted away by 3 police officers Members of Tibetian youth congress protesting in the middle of the road outside the Chinese embassy. holding Tibetian Flags and signs that say 
Stop Culture genocide in Tibet
Talk Tibet first 
Revoke one China policy