Dechun Zhang
@dechunzhang.bsky.social
Postdoc at the Department of Communication, University of Copenhagen. Managing Editor @jceajournal.bsky.social, Editor of Asia Pacific Viewpoint, @gpccomm.bsky.social, Sage Open & Social Media Editor @jvpcjournal.bsky.social. Web: http://dechunzhang.com
New piece in Media@LSE: “How Chinese micro-dramas are redefining cultural influence.” We introduce platform soft power to show how digital platforms, algorithms, and user participation reshape cultural influence. Read here: blogs.lse.ac.uk/medialse/202...
blogs.lse.ac.uk
Looking forward to returning to Aarhus this October for a guest lecture on my book, Digital Nationalism and Affective Governance www.routledge.com/p/book/9781), at the Department of Global Studies, Aarhus University. Event link: cas.au.dk/arrangemente...
Digital Nationalism and Affective Governance: Propaganda, Public Sentiment, and Soft Authori-tarianism in China
Guest Lecture with ZHANG Dechun, Postdoctoral Researcher at Department of Communication, University of Copenhagen
cas.au.dk
Thrilled to see the first review of my book Digital Nationalism and Affective Governance: Propaganda, Public Sentiment, and Soft Authoritarianism in China published in @mediaintaus.bsky.social. Thanks to Jiaxin Yang for the thoughtful review. Review: doi.org/10.1177/1329...
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doi.org
New Book! Digital Nationalism and Affective Governance Propaganda, Public Sentiment, and Soft Authoritarianism in China written by Dechun Zhang. 📕Read more: iamcr.org/book-zhang_2... #iamcr
Delighted to share our chapter, “Digital Public Opinion in China: Weibo Discourses from COVID-19 and Beyond”, in the 2nd edition of The Routledge Companion to Social Media and Politics. doi.org/10.4324/9781...
Digital Public Opinion in China | 29 | v2 | Weibo Discourses from COVI
This chapter examines the dynamics of digital public opinion in China through an analysis of Weibo discourses during the 2022 Shanghai lockdown. It investigates
doi.org
New publication! Our chapter, "Shaping Nationalism: Media Use and Trust in China," in the Routledge International Handbook of the COVID-19 Pandemic in China explores how media use and media trust shaped nationalist sentiment during the pandemic. Read here: doi.org/10.4324/9781...
Shaping Nationalism | 33 | Media Use and Trust in China | Dechun Zhang
COVID-19, as a global public health crisis, has intensified nationalist sentiments to varying degrees worldwide. This study employs an online survey to examine
doi.org
Can memes become a form of resistance? New research by Jiaxin Yang introduces “Soft Subversion” to explain how Chinese youth use homophonic pun memes (谐音梗) to navigate censorship, express identity, and build community online. 📖 koreascience.or.kr/article/JAKO...
Soft Subversion in Sound: Homophonic Pun Memes and Youth Cultural Resistance in China's Digital Sphere -Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia | Korea Science
This paper examines homophonic pun memes on Chinese social media as hybrid cultural artefacts that fuse traditional wordplay with the dynamics of digital youth culture. Drawing on meme theory, semioti...
koreascience.or.kr
Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia@jceajournal.bsky.social · 2mo agoNew article in Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia: “Soft Subversion in Sound” by Jiaxin Yang examines how Chinese homophonic pun memes (谐音梗) shape youth culture, identity, and subtle forms of resistance online. 📖 koreascience.or.kr/article/JAKO...
It was an honor to present my new book, Digital Nationalism and Affective Governance (www.routledge.com/p/book/97810...), at the University of Groningen today. Many thanks to Xiaojuan Qiu for organizing the event, and to Dario Rodighiero, Anna Mikhaylovskaya, and Yuru Li for the discussion.
Digital Nationalism and Affective Governance: Propaganda, Public Sentiment, and Soft Authoritarianism in China
This book examines how government propaganda and everyday online activity shaped China’s digital nationalism in response to the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. With a focus on Weibo, it demonstra...
routledge.com
Excited to share that my book Digital Nationalism and Affective Governance: Propaganda, Public Sentiment, and Soft Authoritarianism in China is officially out today with Routledge. www.routledge.com/p/book/97810... 20% off with code: CISYCDNAG20
Digital Nationalism and Affective Governance: Propaganda, Public Sentiment, and Soft Authoritarianism in China
This book examines how government propaganda and everyday online activity shaped China’s digital nationalism in response to the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. With a focus on Weibo, it demonstra...
routledge.com
Just received my hard copy of my book, Digital Nationalism and Affective Governance: Propaganda, Public Sentiment, and Soft Authoritarianism in China. Get your copy with 20% off using code CISYCDNAG20: www.routledge.com/Digital-Nati...
New piece at Science Politics: “How China Governs Rumor and Platformizes Truth.” The article explores how China’s governance of “rumors” increasingly extends beyond censorship toward platform and epistemic governance. sciencepolitics.org/2026/05/18/h...
How China Governs Rumor and Platformizes Truth - Science Politics
China’s rumor-refuting system shows that fact-checking is not always neutral or emancipatory.
sciencepolitics.org
JVPC features Xénia Farkas’ open access article: “Visual political communication research: A literature review from 2012 to 2022.” This review analyzes 499 studies on how visuals shape politics on social media & TV. Read the full article: doi.org/10.1386/jvpc...
Visual political communication research: A literature review from 2012 to 2022 | Intellect
More than ten years ago, Schill’s (2012) review article was published on the visual aspects of political communication aiming to increase research in this field. It seems that scholars have reacted to...
doi.org
Excited to announce the launch of my new book Digital Nationalism and Affective Governance (Routledge, 2026) at Campus Fryslân, University of Groningen, on May 28! Hybrid event — all welcome. Book: www.routledge.com/9781041308775 20% discount: CISYCDNAG20
My contribution to the EUI volume Open for Debate. I introduce “negotiated openness” to rethink how digital participation is structured—pointing to the rise of “soft digital authoritarianism.” Link: cadmus.eui.eu/entities/pub...
Open for debate : governance, power, and the limits of internet openness
Open for Debate: Governance, Power, and the Limits of Internet Openness is an edited collection that examines how the concept and practice of an "open internet" have evolved under changing technologic...
cadmus.eui.eu
Excited to announce my book Digital Nationalism and Affective Governance (Routledge) is available for pre-order TODAY. Digital propaganda in China operates under soft authoritarianism, with nationalism co-produced by state, platforms, and citizens. Pre-order: www.routledge.com/p/book/97810...
Digital Nationalism and Affective Governance: Propaganda, Public Sentiment, and Soft Authoritarianism in China
This book examines how government propaganda and everyday online activity shaped China’s digital nationalism in response to the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. With a focus on Weibo, it demonstra...
routledge.com
I’m pleased to share that, following my first monograph, my second book (co-authored) is now under contract with Bloomsbury: International Opinion Power in the U.S.–China Trade War, examining how global public opinion is constructed and contested across seven countries.
Excited to have contributed to the China Knowledge Network (@c-k-n.bsky.social) report: Understanding China’s Export Controls. I co-authored Chapter 2: Legal & Regulatory Evolution with Ruoxin Su. Thanks to Guangyu Qiao-Franco & Rogier Creemers! 📍 Join: events.teams.microsoft.com/event/13bc09...
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Two book updates: My monograph Digital Nationalism and Affective Governance: Propaganda, Public Sentiment, and Soft Authoritarianism in China (Routledge, www.routledge.com/p/book/97810...) will be available for preorder on May 5 and will be published on May 26.
Digital Nationalism and Affective Governance: Propaganda, Public Sentiment, and Soft Authoritarianism in China
This book examines how government propaganda and everyday online activity shaped China’s digital nationalism in response to the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. With a focus on Weibo, it demonstra...
routledge.com
New CKN report on China’s export controls. Examines legal framework, institutions & policy evolution beyond rare earths and tech headlines. My contribution focuses on the legal evolution of export controls and their shift toward strategic statecraft. www.chinakennisnetwerk.nl/events/ckn-p...
CKN Presentation - Understanding China's Export Controls | Clingendael CKN
In this China Knowledge Network (CKN) presentation, Dr Guangyu Qiao-Franco, Dr Rogier Creemers, Dr Ewan Smith and Dr Chenghao Sun, present the findings of their report on China’s export controls. Movi...
chinakennisnetwerk.nl
Come to work with me!
Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia@jceajournal.bsky.social · 5mo agoWe are hiring! Assistant Managing Editor @ JCEA (2026–2028) The Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia invites applications. 🗓 Deadline: April 28, 2026 📩 CV + short motivation letter 🔗 drive.google.com/file/d/1gbId... Please share!
Call for Papers I’m pleased to guest edit a special issue on AI, Algorithmic Media, and Digital Governance in Global Media and China We invite research on AI governance, algorithmic media, and digital power. Abstract deadline: 20 May 2026 Details: journals.sagepub.com/pb-assets/cm...
journals.sagepub.com
The inaugural issue of @gpccomm.bsky.social is now online! 🎆 Edited by @bowmanspartan.bsky.social, the issue explores key global communication topics—from digital health information seeking to misinformation and TikTok’s global rise. 🔗 academic.oup.com/gpc/issue/1/1
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academic.oup.com
CFP Reminder — 1 week left! Special Issue in Communication and the Public: Co-Producing Environmental Publics: Technology, Communication, and Ecological Transformation We welcome research on digital technologies shaping environmental publics and governance. Abstracts Deadline: March 20, 2026
Dechun Zhang@dechunzhang.bsky.social · 7mo agoCall for Papers I’m organizing, with Han Lin and Weiai (Wayne) Xu, a Special Issue titled: “Co-Producing Environmental Publics: Technology, Communication & Ecological Transformation” for Communication and the Public Abstract deadline: 20 March 2026 CFP: drive.google.com/file/d/1zAr6...
Together with Jun Liu, I’ve signed a contract with Edward Elgar Publishing for our edited volume Research Handbook on Communication in China. Excited to engage with scholars working on political communication, media systems, digital platforms, and China in the global communication order.
📢 Call for Papers | Communication and the Public Special Issue: Co-Producing Environmental Publics: Technology, Communication & Ecological Transformation 🗓️ Abstract deadline: 20 March 2026 Please RT & share with interested colleagues 🌍📣
Dechun Zhang@dechunzhang.bsky.social · 7mo agoCall for Papers I’m organizing, with Han Lin and Weiai (Wayne) Xu, a Special Issue titled: “Co-Producing Environmental Publics: Technology, Communication & Ecological Transformation” for Communication and the Public Abstract deadline: 20 March 2026 CFP: drive.google.com/file/d/1zAr6...
Call for Papers I’m organizing, with Han Lin and Weiai (Wayne) Xu, a Special Issue titled: “Co-Producing Environmental Publics: Technology, Communication & Ecological Transformation” for Communication and the Public Abstract deadline: 20 March 2026 CFP: drive.google.com/file/d/1zAr6...
Speical issue_CAP_.pdf
drive.google.com
My forthcoming book, Digital Nationalism and Affective Governance: Propaganda, Public Sentiment, and Soft Authoritarianism in China (Routledge), now has an official cover and is listed on the publisher’s website. It is expected to be published in 2026. 🔗 www.routledge.com/9781041308775
Digital Nationalism and Affective Governance: Propaganda, Public Sentiment, and Soft Authoritarianism in China
This book examines how government propaganda and everyday online activity shaped China’s digital nationalism in response to the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. With a focus on Weibo, it demonstra...
routledge.com
My new coauthored paper, with Zesheng Yang & Ava Xingmeng Huang, “Negotiating sporting identity in divided discursive spaces: nationalism and localism in the Guangdong–Hong Kong Cup,” is now published in Sport in Society. Full paper: doi.org/10.1080/1743...
Negotiating sporting identity in divided discursive spaces: nationalism and localism in the Guangdong–Hong Kong Cup
The Guangdong–Hong Kong Cup is a long-standing football tournament between teams from the two Cantonese-speaking cultural regions of southeastern China. Using the 2024 edition as a case study, this...
doi.org
📢 The Winter Issue of the Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia (JCEA) is now published! Featuring 4 Regular Issue articles + a Special Issue on Digital Transformations in Asian Politics. Explore the full issue here: koreascience.or.kr/journal/OSTR...
Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia | Korea Science
koreascience.or.kr
Our editorial with Justin Chun-ting Ho, “Entangled Futures — Governance, Resistance, and Publics in Digital Transformations,” for the special issue Digital Transformations in Asian Politics at @jceajournal.bsky.social is out now. East Asia reshapes digital governance debates. doi.org/10.17477/jce...
doi.org