This article analyses the cultural and political dynamics which unfolded during the recent right of abode issue in Hong Kong in terms of the processes of hegemonic construction, negotiation and displacement. On the one hand, there took place a process of hegemonic production of consent through the construction of social panic, as co-orchestrated by the state and the media. On the other hand, there emerged an opposition alliance which supported the common goal of constitutional right of abode via a varied political agenda. Despite the deep-rooted conflict between the two sides, the dominant and opposition discourses appropriated and negotiated with each other’s terms in their arguments surrounding issues of law and order. As legal discourses became predominant, the moral rights claim to family reunion within the movement became further and further displaced. As a result, the government was able to win over popular consent for its rather coercive and exclusionary action, even in the face of opposition and protest.
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