Rhizomatic Labor and Connective Action: Feminist Student Activism in China’s Illiberal Opportunity Structures

This study examines how feminist student activists in China navigate illiberal political and academic opportunity structures following major crackdowns on civil society. While existing scholarship suggests that illiberal conditions exacerbate movement fragmentation, this research identifies alternative pathways for mobilization. Drawing on participant observation and interviews with student activists who were active in 2015 and 2024, this article traces shifts in mobilizing strategies and outlines four channels of activism based on institutional context and intended audience within and beyond education institutions. Navigating across these channels requires intensive rhizomatic labor, a decentralized and adaptive form of activist work in illiberal conditions that (1) entails intensive emotional and aspirational labor to manage in/visibility, and (2) curates connections across arenas and audiences beyond traditional institutions. This study suggests that illiberal educational opportunity structures not only shape the scale and form of activism, but also reorganize the kinds of labor students must perform in order to remain politically engaged.