| Abstract
|
:
|
Every multinational state faces the dilemma of integrating or assimilating minorities in order to maintain nationhood. The alternative would be mono-ethnic states whereby citizenship is determined by ethnicity. Integration may be preferable because minorities would maintain their distinct culture, language and religion, while functioning within society. Whereas assimilation generally means minorities are absorbed into the majority society and results in the loss of minority identity. Attempts to integrate minority nationalities with the greater Han Chinese polity, society and economy have occurred prior to, and particularly since, 1949. China has identified fifty six ethnic groups using anthropology, ethnology, immigration and self-consciousness criteria. Given the vastness of multiculturalism in China, it is phenomenal that most minority nationalities are integrating due to intermingling with other minorities and the majority (Han) group. Other than Tibet and Xinjiang, minority areas have been relatively stable since the 1980s. This thesis focuses on minority integration in North Western, peripheral China: namely, in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Primarily using the area's namesake, the Uygur national minority as a case study, eight indicators of integration are applied to establish general trends towards or away from integration among that population in Xinjiang. The indicators utilized are: education, language maintenance, political participation, religion, economies, population policies, migration, and International trends. Wherever possible, other minority nationalities are also included in discussions. Minority policy during the Mao-era was loosely-based on a Soviet policy that was altered to better fit the Chinese reality. Minority policies in the Peoples' Republic of China (PRC) have come full-circle since 1949. Periods of radicalism and more liberal administration have influenced minority integration and unrest. Also, international trends such as globalization and pan-Islamism affect integration, particularly in Xinjiang. Current trends are indicative of general minority integration with the larger Chinese polity, society and economy. Exceptions lie within challenges posed by incorporation of the Chinese state within the international arena, and religion (fundamentalism). But exceptions appear to be present only among a small minority of the nationality populations. This study concludes that, according to the eight indicators of integration, minorities in China are generally amalgamating lifestyle, society, and economy with the majority Han Chinese. Integration can be attributed to various government minority policies, and increasingly international trends. Alternatively, population characteristics that are less conducive to integration include (fundamentalist) religion, and minority language maintenance.
|