The rhetoric of democracy : framing and re-framing political debates in Hong Kong

Abstract

This thesis examines the discourses of democracy in the context of political development in Hong Kong during the first 10 years after the 1997 handover with a means of rhetoric and frame analysis. Findings are divided in to two; firstly the general rhetorical themes warranting the democracy discussion, secondly the frames of the debate and the frame portrayal of the democracy situation. Overall, the study shows how political actors define political options and promote development, which is favourable to their interests and views, through framing democracy in different ways. The methodological ambition pursued is to bridge a rhetorical and realist approach, and the case throughout is used to illustrate how and why to use frame analysis. The thesis reveals the frames that describe different point of views, and contributes to the understanding of democrats’ position as re-framers. Found frames are clustered into paradigmatic framesets that deal with the concrete democracy issue and the political situation in nowadays Hong Kong. Consequently, the democracy debate in Hong Kong is organised around two opposite and idealized templates for democracy. The first cluster forms the pro-establishment model, which suggests solutions built around consensus and practical means. In this mostly administrative model, democratic development is a matter of trust to expert systems. The second frameset, mostly used by the pro-democrats, supports the idea of a wider democratic change which entails broad normative changes in politics. Keywords: Democracy, Frame Analysis, Hong Kong, Rhetoric