Abstract
The internet being the primary platform for feminist activism in China has led to increased visibility in the divisions within the feminist community. This research examines this phenomenon based on two case studies. First, in the digital community that works on feminist topics, individuals who like gay Boys’ Love dramas or novels are labelled as misogynists. Second, feminists who recommend cosmetics are criticised for their efforts to please male chauvinism and consumerism. This research further explores the reason for this phenomenon, referring to the theory of ‘scapegoat’ which explains aggression and hostility within a community through analysing the interaction between frustration or fear caused by threats from outside the community and violence or persecution within the community. This article argues that the demand for purity or unity of the feminist community with certain values or identities upheld as ‘true’ or ‘qualified feminists’ embodies a homogeneity with the authoritarian regime and the core of populism as a global phenomenon. This finding may shed light on the complex and nuanced impacts of the state and global politics on civil society and rights activism in an authoritarian regime.
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APA 7th edition
In-text citation: (Jiang, 2026)
Reference: Jiang, J. (2026). Critical analysis of the rifts and ostracism in an online feminist community in China.
Feminist Encounters: A Journal of Critical Studies in Culture and Politics, 10(1), Article 12.
https://doi.org/10.20897/femenc/17925
AMA 10th edition
In-text citation: (1), (2), (3), etc.
Reference: Jiang J. Critical analysis of the rifts and ostracism in an online feminist community in China.
Feminist Encounters: A Journal of Critical Studies in Culture and Politics. 2026;10(1), 12.
https://doi.org/10.20897/femenc/17925
Chicago
In-text citation: (Jiang, 2026)
Reference: Jiang, Jue. "Critical analysis of the rifts and ostracism in an online feminist community in China".
Feminist Encounters: A Journal of Critical Studies in Culture and Politics 2026 10 no. 1 (2026): 12.
https://doi.org/10.20897/femenc/17925
Harvard
In-text citation: (Jiang, 2026)
Reference: Jiang, J. (2026). Critical analysis of the rifts and ostracism in an online feminist community in China.
Feminist Encounters: A Journal of Critical Studies in Culture and Politics, 10(1), 12.
https://doi.org/10.20897/femenc/17925
MLA
In-text citation: (Jiang, 2026)
Reference: Jiang, Jue "Critical analysis of the rifts and ostracism in an online feminist community in China".
Feminist Encounters: A Journal of Critical Studies in Culture and Politics, vol. 10, no. 1, 2026, 12.
https://doi.org/10.20897/femenc/17925
Vancouver
In-text citation: (1), (2), (3), etc.
Reference: Jiang J. Critical analysis of the rifts and ostracism in an online feminist community in China. Feminist Encounters: A Journal of Critical Studies in Culture and Politics. 2026;10(1):12.
https://doi.org/10.20897/femenc/17925