Book Synopsis

The reason why protests have caused maximum pain for minimum gain is that they have done everything right. Well-developed consensus practices from activists have been put into practice in highly coordinated fashion internationally: keep messaging simple, restrict communications to a few media-trained representatives, maximize social media spread, try to provoke reactions, do not compromise, and do not legitimize the opposition by speaking to them. As a result, most observers not already sympathetic to the cause have come away with a picture of students as obstinate, naïve, and inclined to violence. Daoist philosophy holds a set of principles that are completely opposite to the normal modes of social activism. It opposes conflict, striving, standard-setting, clever techniques, and any kind of trust in language. Instead, it promotes grounding oneself in the reality of the world, looking to flow in natural directions, disengagement from conflict, and patience. This may all sound very mystical and not of much use to protests; but viewed in another light, it results in some common-sense conclusions. Would you be more easily persuaded by someone who sat down with you for a conversation, or by someone who yelled angry accusations at you from across a barricade? The Activist tries to bring out the "common-sense" aspect of Daoist ideals to advocate for a new kind of social activism. It critiques common modes of social and political activism and proposes new modes of activism that might be more effective in promoting positive change in the world.

About the Author

Daniel Fried is Professor of classical Chinese literature and philosophy at the University of Alberta. His scholarship examines ancient and medieval Chinese theories of language and communication in comparative context with European traditions; his most recent book, The First Print Era (Routledge, 2023) examines the growth of print culture during China's Northern Song dynasty (960-1127). He has held many leadership positions within several North American and European scholarly associations, including serving on the executive committee of the Association of Language Departments of the Modern Language Association, the primary advocacy organization for language-teaching departments in the United States. Born in New York and educated entirely in the US, Fried has spent many years living in mainland China and Taiwan, and is now a US-Canadian dual citizen.