Spukt ein autokratisches Gespenst in der Chinaforschung? Erkenntnisse aus Umfragedaten zu grenzüberschreitenden Repressionserfahrungen

This article examines the research climate among German-speaking China scholars, focusing on the prevalence of cross-border repression. Drawing on a survey among 87 members of two major China Studies associations in German-speaking countries, the article finds that the respondents’ scholarship is affected by so-called ‘soft’ repression. While ‘hard’ repression is much less widespread among the surveyed scholars, we argue that the distinction is fluid in practice, and we interpret our findings as evidence that the Chinese party-state attempts to repress free academia across borders. However, accusations that the Chinese party-state has considerable bearing on China researchers do not correspond to the self-perception of most survey participants. Qualitative responses indicate that respondents discuss the topic of selfcensorship openly, often citing research ethics as an explanation for conscious selfcensorship decisions. We also find that a minority of respondents worries about a polarised public and academic debate about China, even listing perceived pressures in the context of this debate as one of the main challenges currently facing China scholars.