Editors’ Note

1The essays by Chinese authors in this book are significant for demonstrating the diversity of thinking and independence of thought displayed by some academics in China today; they are consequently of great importance in fostering intercultural dialogue and supportive engagement with the leading members of Chinese civil society. They are also important for providing a lens through which an English-speaking readership – academic or otherwise – may learn about the tremendous challenges occurring alongside the process of China’s modernization through the voices of those closest to the frontiers of human rights violations and systemic discrimination occurring there today.

2Translation of these essays into English and subsequent editing, however, were difficult. Readers should also note that the Chinese academic writing style differs from the North American academic writing style in numerous respects. The editors decided not to substantially alter this style while still attempting to generate some uniformity between the contributions and accessible texts. We hope that the published versions do justice to the quality of the original Chinese essays and we apologize in advance for any discrepancies that may have occurred in the process of translating them into English and preparing them for publication by the University of Ottawa Press.