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Uyghur Identity Contestation and Construction of Identity in a Conflict Setting

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Uyghur Identity Contestation and Construction of Identity in a Conflict Setting UNIVERSITY OF GOTHENBURG School of Global Studies = Uyghur Identity Contestation and Construction of Identity in a Conflict Setting Master Thesis in Global Studies Spring Semester 2015 Author: Fanny Olson Supervisor: Camilla Orjuela ABSTRACT This study explores and discusses the dynamics of identity in conflict through examining Uyghur collective identity in the specific context of China as an emerging power. Particular attention is paid to how this identity is constructed and contested by different actors of the Xinjiang Conflict. The Xinjiang Conflict is a multifaceted conflict, consisting of both direct and structural violence. These dynamics of identity are based on different understandings of what it means to be a Uyghur, which is in line with existing research on contemporary conflicts that considers identity as a driving force of violence. Through a text analysis, this study sets out to assess how Uyghur identity is constructed and contested in the context of the Xinjiang Conflict, by primary actors; the Chinese government, Uyghur diaspora and the local Uyghur population in Xinjiang. As the Uyghurs’ identity has been contested, and discontent is cultivated among the Uyghur community, the conflict between Uyghurs and the Chinese government (dominated by the majority ethnic group Han Chinese) has escalated since the mid-1990s. The findings advanced in this research conclude that Uyghur identity, in the context of conflict, is contested within different areas, such as language, culture, territory, religion and even time. This paper suggests that within these areas, identity is contested though the different processes of negotiation, resistance, boundary-making and emphasis on certain features of ones identity. Key words: Xinjiang Conflict, China, Uyghur, Identity, and Text Analysis 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many thanks to Joseph who listened, discussed and engaged with me during this process. I appreciate your support and could not have finished this study without your constructive criticism and your charm that has brightened my mood throughout the endless hours in the library. I also want to thank my supervisor, Camilla, who has managed to help me through the research by guiding me, offering great advice, expertise and insight. At last, I want to thank my Chinese friends, Hewei and Yinrun. They are the reason why I became interested in the Xinjiang Conflict in the first place. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................................................................ 5 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................. 6 PATTERNS OF CONFLICT AND IDENTITY ............................................................................................................... 6 AIM AND RESEACH QUESTIONS ....................................................................................................................... 9 DELIMITATION ......................................................................................................................................................... 9 METHODOLOGY .......................................................................................................................................... 11 DATA COLLECTION AND SOURCES .......................................................................................................................... 12 GOVERNMENT SOURCES ................................................................................................................................... 13 DISAPORA SROUCES ............................................................................................................................................ 14 ACADEMIC SOURCES ........................................................................................................................................... 14 ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................................................................................. 15 REFLECTIONS .................................................................................................................................................................... 16 BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................................. 18 THE XINJIANG CONFLICT AND UYGHUR HISTORY .......................................................................................... 18 A NEW AUTONOMOUS REGION ..................................................................................................................... 18 POLITICAL AND CULTURAL POLARISATION ........................................................................................... 19 MIGRATION AND ETHNIC UNREST .............................................................................................................. 20 A THEORETICAL DISCUSSION ................................................................................................................. 22 WHAT IS IDENTITY? ....................................................................................................................................................... 22 ETHNIC IDENTITY ................................................................................................................................................ 22 IDENTITY IN CONFLICT ................................................................................................................................................ 23 ACTORS AND IDENTITY ................................................................................................................................................ 25 GOVERNMENTS AND IDENTITY CONTESTATION ................................................................................. 25 DIASPORA AND LONG-DISTANCE IDENTITIES ....................................................................................... 26 THE LOCAL POPULATION ................................................................................................................................. 27 CONCLUDING REMARK ................................................................................................................................................. 28 RESULTS AND ANALYSIS .......................................................................................................................... 29 PERSPECTIVES .................................................................................................................................................................. 29 THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT ......................................................................................................................... 29 UYGHUR DIASPORA ............................................................................................................................................. 30 LOCAL UYGHUR POPULATION IN XINJIANG ............................................................................................ 30 AREAS OF CONTESTATION .......................................................................................................................................... 30 TERRITORY ............................................................................................................................................................. 31 NATIONAL UNITY AND AUTONOMY ............................................................................................................ 33 CULTURE AND RELIGION ................................................................................................................................. 34 RELIGIOUS PRAYER ........................................................................................................................................................... 35 CLOTHING AND APPEARANCES .................................................................................................................................. 36 FOOD AND TRADITIONS ................................................................................................................................................. 39 LANGUAGE ............................................................................................................................................................... 41 INTRAGROUP DYNAMICS .................................................................................................................................. 43 FINAL DISCUSSION ......................................................................................................................................................... 46 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................................ 50 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................................................... 52 APPENDIX ..................................................................................................................................................... 59 4 ABBREVIATIONS CCP – Chinese Communist Party ETIM – East Turkestan Islamic Movement ETPRP – East Turkestan People’s Revolutionary Party ETR – East Turkestan Republic PRC – People’s Republic of China TIP – Turkestan Islamic Party UAA – Uyghur American Association
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