Marie-Eve Reny forces us to rethink the nature of state-society relations in authoritarian regimes. The literature on authoritarianism has typically focused on the ways in which autocratic actors either coopt, or repress autonomous civil society activity. Through an analysis of Chinese state policies towards unregistered Protestant house churches, Reny by contrast shows that authoritarian regimes may also adopt a strategy of containment. Drawing on extensive
interviews and observation, Reny offers us a fresh and unparalleled view of the subtle and informal workings of contemporary authoritarian rule." -Lucan Ahmad Way, Professor of Political Science, University of Toronto
Marie-Eve Reny is Assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at Université de Montréal since June 2013. Her work primarily centers on the comparative study of authoritarian regimes, with a special interest for China.