The Politics of Electronic Social Capital and Public Sphere in Chinese Lala Community: Implications for Civil Society

This article explores the politics of cyber-networks and cyber social bonds in the Chinese lesbian community. It further discusses the implications of these networks and the online mediation of social bonds for Chinese civil society. Underlying this article are two analytical concepts - the public sphere and electronic social capital. Both concepts define the realm wherein social and political initiatives and movements from below may grow. It is argued in this article that, as the Lala community continues to develop, more and more homosexuals and same-sex couples are being awakened to promote and assert their civic rights in a country which has for decades virtually denied them the full protection and assurance of fundamental human rights. This paper maintains that the Internet has helped liberate the Chinese lesbian community in the sense that the cyberspace as a gendered platform has facilitated the emergence, formation, and development of electronic social capital and the public sphere, albeit it is still in the incipient stage.