The Internet is developing quicker in Asia than in any other region of the world. This book is the first comprehensive analysis of the information society in an Asian context, and the impact of these technologies in Asia. These impacts are inevitably uneven and conditioned by issues of telecommunications infrastructure, government policies, cultural and social values, and economic realities. The combination of original research, theoretical innovation and detailed case studies make this an important book for scholars and students in Asian studies, media studies, communication studies and sociology.

The purpose of this volume is to bring together a set of chapters that investigate the communication practices through which Chinese societies are creating their civil foundations for the next millennium. Civic Discourse, Civil Society, and Chinese Communities, reflects both the emphasis on analyzing specific discursive practices in particular Chinese societies and on understanding the role that discursive practices play in the development of civil society more generally.

The purpose of this volume is to bring together a set of chapters that investigate the communication practices through which Chinese societies are creating their civil foundations for the next millennium. Civic Discourse, Civil Society, and Chinese Communities, reflects both the emphasis on analyzing specific discursive practices in particular Chinese societies and on understanding the role that discursive practices play in the development of civil society more generally.

The Internet is developing quicker in Asia than in any other region of the world. This book is the first comprehensive analysis of the information society in an Asian context, and the impact of these technologies in Asia. These impacts are inevitably uneven and conditioned by issues of telecommunications infrastructure, government policies, cultural and social values, and economic realities. The combination of original research, theoretical innovation and detailed case studies make this an important book for scholars and students in Asian studies, media studies, communication studies and sociology.