The insurgent intellectuals in elite capture: resistance in Nanjing’s urban regeneration projects, China

This paper examines the role of intellectual elites and their ability to influence urban governance through a case study of South City regeneration in Nanjing, China. Traditionally, elite capture is associated with the process by which economic and political elites exploit resources and powers to manipulate policymaking for their benefits. However, this study shifts the focus toward intellectual elites – esteemed scholars, professors, cultural custodians from nonprofit institutions – who challenge and reshape the profit-driven redevelopment agenda spearheaded by Nanjing’s entrepreneurial municipality. By co-opting municipal authority, these intellectual figures halted large-scale demolitions, showcasing the capacity to navigate China’s formal power structures within an authoritarian context. Generally, this paper explores how intellectuals balance cooperation with the state and the grassroots while advancing their elite-based visions of urban development. We conceptualize intellectual elite capture through three key aspects: the portrayal of elite status, the interplay between intellectual elites and state, and the dependency of the state and the public on elites. In conclusion, we argue for a redefinition of elite capture in authoritarian regimes, where intellectual elites play dual roles – as both insurgents resisting state-driven agendas and mediators leveraging their privileged positions within the hierarchical state system and the grassroots movement.