Faculty Fellow Victoria Hui recently reviewed Mark Clifford’s book The Troublemaker in the Journal of Democracy.
The Troublemaker is an insider account of the life of Jimmy Lai, a Hong Kong media tycoon, depicting his journey from child refugee to entrepreneur and democratic activist.
Hui theorizes a mutualistic relationship between Lai and the city of Hong Kong, suggesting that Lai enterprises provided a brighter, more uplifting reality for citizens. In her review, she continues to follow the life of Jimmy Lai and discusses the ways in which he used his influence to take a stand in the name of democracy.
Hui is an associate professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame. Her research focuses on the centrality of war in the formation and transformation of “China” throughout history, contentious politics, the formation of state, and Chinese politics.