The Stability Imperative

Biddulph has written an outstanding contribution to the field of human rights and law as well as to the field of governance and social stability/protests. The uniqueness and strength of the book lie in the author’s ability to bridge and unite insights from different research areas and in her rich empirical material. [Biddulph] shows how issues of human rights and governance are intertwined and shape the life of individual citizens as well as the work of different state and non-state actors and institutions. Marina Svensson, Lund University, Pacific Historical Review

This outstanding book goes a long way towards advancing our understanding of the nature of the law-society nexus in China today. It fills the gap in conventional understandings of the rights debate and rights practices in China and provides a highly detailed and sophisticated understanding of how law figures in the Communist party-state’s stability imperative, how rights are contested and articulated in legal disputes, and how the party-state responds to these contestations. Sue Trevaskes, Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security, Griffith University, and author of The Death Penalty in Contemporary China

This book will be of great interest to scholars and students in a variety of areas including Chinese studies, law, sociology, and political science – really to anyone interested in understanding contemporary Chinese society. The author’s thorough understanding of the subject areas discussed is beyond doubt, and the case studies are fascinating, vivid, and detailed. Eva Pils, Faculty of Law, King’s College London, and author of China’s Human Rights Lawyers: Advocacy and Resistance