Fragmented authoritarianism in action: An analysis of interaction between researcher and archivist in the People’s Republic of China

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study analyzes the relationship between researchers and archivists in the People’s Republic of China, based on two co-authors’ respective experiences of the same archive centres. It shows how the clearance procedures, the imprecise regulations, and the arbitrary power of archivists at various levels can either open access to restricted documents, or prevent access to others that are supposedly ‘open to the public’. To this extent, this article shows how the fragmented and authoritarian nature of the Chinese bureaucracy shapes the relationship between administrators and the people.