Online politics is currently the subject of much debate. Most of the research has focused on Western democracies. This book instead examines the two rising giants, India and China.
A central argument is that a long-term perspective is needed for this that traces the trajectories of societal development, including the uneven evolution of citizenship rights. Another is that their media systems must be compared to include not just digital but also traditional media.
The book examines several cases of contentious politics in both countries, including populist and anti-globalist mobilization and gender and climate change protest. It also examines the geopolitics of platform regulation and AI development.
The book argues that despite recent increases in control of the internet by Xi Jinping’s party-state and Narendra Modi’s turn to majoritarianism, there is much to learn for online politics in the West from the two countries.
Available in print: 17 July 2026
