Propaganda through participation: counterterrorism narratives in China

One of the puzzles that bewilder those who study security is the 'effectiveness' of the authoritarian states in maintaining stability as their high-pressure security policies require a high level of compliance and willingness to compromise to the trade-off between state security and civil liberties. This chapter argues that propaganda plays an important role in mobilising support in order to temper the more coercive approach in countering violent extremism in China. Building on the legacy of the 'Mass Line' (qunzhong luxian), the Chinese state launched the mass project 'Visit, Benefit and Gather', aiming to send 200,000 government officials down to the countryside to rally support. Cultural events, such as painting contests, turn local cadres and citizens into propagandists, which complements the top-down production and distribution of political propaganda. The wide use of face-to-face house visits, events, posters, occurring mostly offline, provides interesting insights to 'participatory propaganda' that is more often associated with online participation in the Internet age. Participatory propaganda ensures that persuasive communications reach deep into communities and cover remote villages where the state narratives have been struggling to compete with alternative ideologies.