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A historical-political perspective on China's contemporary ethnic strife caused by its incomplete transition from empire to nation state.
List of contents
Introduction: What is Destabilizing about China's Ethnic Regions?; 1. Changing Approaches to Identity: From Maintenance to Transformation; 2. Changing Approaches to Ethnic Governance: From Loose Rein to Ethno-territorial Units; 3. Changing Approaches to Policy Instruments: From Elite Cooptation to Egalitarian Strategies; 4. The Rise of Identity Politics in Post-Mao China; 5. Ethnic Autonomy and Its Discontents; 6. Religious Revival and Its Discontents; 7. Economic Modernization and Its Discontents; 8. Educational Expansion and Its Discontents; Conclusion: From Empire to Nation State: Lessons and Reforms.
About the author
Yan Sun is Professor in the Department in Political Science at Queens College and at the Graduate Centre, The City University of New York.
Summary
Many scholars perceive ethnic politics in China as an untouchable topic due to lack of data and contentious, even prohibitive, politics. This book reveals rare knowledge and findings, offering a historical-political perspective on China's contemporary ethnic conflict to reveal its roots in its incomplete transition from empire to nation state.
Additional text
'This book is written by a fair-minded Han Chinese scholar who has many close relatives in Xinjiang and a deep feeling for the place and its people. It is based on many years of research and features abundant new data previously unavailable to English readers, as well as nuanced analyses of the development of China's ethnic policies and their unintended consequences. The book is a tour de force; a must-read for those interested in understanding the history of China's frontiers and the ongoing ethnic conflict in Xinjiang and Tibet.' Dingxin Zhao, The University of Chicago
