Morally-grounded activism in urban China: ethics and prefigurative politics at the public-private nexus

Existing literature on environmental activism in China remains largely framed by the state–society paradigm, with limited attention to how ethics, relationships, and subjectivity shape activist practices. In response, this article combines the theoretical lenses of prefigurative politics and intimate activism to propose the concept of “morally-grounded activism”. Based on an ethnographic study of an ecological store and community hub that promotes sustainable living, the concept enables an analysis of everyday environmentalism as both transformation-driven and an ethical response to environmental crisis. In doing so, it moves beyond framing everyday environmentalism as a strategic response to growing repression of civil society under Xi Jinping, or as resulting from the deflection of responsibility onto individuals. In turn, this article makes a theoretical intervention by calling for greater attention to subtle forms of agency and to the blurred space between public and private spheres in China’s evolving political landscape.