#MeToo in China: The Dynamic of Digital Activism against Sexual Assault and Harassment in Higher Education

This study focuses on digital activism against sexual misconduct in higher education in China. It demonstrates the dynamic of digital activism in an authoritarian regime, explicating how different stakeholders are involved in addressing sexual violence. While the hashtag #MeToo connotes the transnational effort to use social media to demonstrate the prevalence and magnitude of sexual violence, we also highlight the importance of local experience in the power struggle between grassroots digital advocacy and state institutions and within state institutions such as the news media, universities, and policy-making bodies, with their respective histories and development trajectories. Using social media to fight sexual violence creates possibilities for change in a situation where is difficult to act independently. The study not only contributes to our understanding of the complexity of digital activism against sexual violence in an authoritarian state but also highlights the strengths and weaknesses in each effort.