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Uyghurs Is an Original and Significant Contribution to the Study of the Ethnic Relations Within the People’S Republic of China

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Uyghurs Is an Original and Significant Contribution to the Study of the Ethnic Relations Within the People’S Republic of China bovin on “The Uyghurs is an original and significant contribution to the study of The ethnic relations within the People’s Republic of China. Very few foreign scholars have been able to study Xinjiang in such detail. Gardner Boving- G don’s thoughtful discussion and comprehensive coverage make this must d reading for anyone interested in contemporary China.” Peter C. Perdue,,Yale University, author of China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia The UYGHURS P raiSe For Strangers in Their Own Land THe UYGHURS UYGHURS “The Uyghurs is an-depth case study of the failure of the Chinese gov- For more than half a century, ernment to integrate the Uyghurs, one of China’s fifty-six nationalities, many Uyghurs, members of a Mus- into the so-called great family of the nation. The book offers a unique (CONTINUED FROM FRONT FLAP) lim minority in northwestern China, perspective to understand the difficult and on-going process of Chinese have sought to achieve greater au- insight into the practices of nation nation-state building efforts. It is a must read for anyone who is interested tonomy or outright independence. building and nation challenging, in China’s nationality issues and the rise of ethnic nationalism in the post– Yet the Chinese government has not only in relation to Xinjiang but Cold War world.” consistently resisted these efforts, also in reference to other regions of SuiSheng Zhao, University of Denver, author of A Nation- countering with repression and a conflict. His work highlights the in- State by Construction: Dynamics of Modern Chinese Nationalism sophisticated strategy of state- fluence of international institutions sanctioned propaganda that em- on growing regional autonomy and “Gardner bovingdon brings to this project fluency in both Uyghur and phasizes interethnic harmony and underscores the role of representa- Chinese languages, a deep knowledge of Han and Uyghur society and the Chinese nationalism. After decades tion in nationalist politics, as well PRC political system, and a comparative perspective enriched by wide of struggle, Uyghurs remain pas- as the local, regional, and global sionate about establishing and ex- reading in social science literature on identity and nationalism. Though implications of the “war on terror” Their Own Land panding their power within govern- he focuses on political questions, Bovingdon displays a humanist’s con- on antistate movements. While Strangers in ment, and China’s leaders continue cern for his subjects as individuals and eschews social science jargon for both the Chinese state and foreign to push back, refusing to concede analysts have portrayed Uyghur elegantly turned phrases that crystallize the issues in a memorable way.” any physical or political ground. activists as Muslim terrorists, situat- JameS millward, Georgetown University, author of ing them within global terrorist net- Eurasian Crossroads: A History of Xinjiang Beginning with the history of Xin- works, Bovingdon argues that these jiang and its unique population of assumptions are flawed, drawing a Chinese Muslims, Gardner Boving- clear line between Islamist ideology don follows fifty years of Uyghur and Uyghur nationhood. w w w. C u P. C o l u m b i a . e d u C o lumbia discontent, particularly the devel- opment of individual and collective i s b n : 978-0-231-15204-4 c o l u m b i a u n i ve r s i t y p r e s s n e w yo r k Gardner bovinGdon is an u n i v e r S i t y acts of resistance since 1949, as well assistant professor in the Depart- w w w. c u pP. cr o l ue mS b i aS . e d u as the role of various transnational ment of Central Eurasian Studies at organizations in cultivating dissent. Printed in the U.S.A. Indiana University. P r i n t e d i n t h e u . S . a . n e w yo r k G aRdneR bovinGdon Bovingdon’s work provides fresh columbia The UYGHURS bovi14758_fm.indd 1 5/7/10 8:59:09 PM bovi14758_fm.indd 2 5/7/10 8:59:09 PM The UYGHURS Strangers in Their Own Land GARDNER BOVINGDON COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS NEW YORK bovi14758_fm.indd 3 5/7/10 8:59:10 PM Columbia University Press Publishers Since 1893 New York Chichester, West Sussex Copyright © 2010 Columbia University Press All rights reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bovingdon, Gardner. The Uyghurs : strangers in their own land / Gardner Bovingdon. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn 978-0-231-14758-3 (cloth : acid-free paper) isbn 978-0-231-51941-0 (e-book) 1. Uighur (Turkic people)—China—Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu—History—20th century. 2. Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu (China)—History—Autonomy and independence movements. 3. Nationalism—China—Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu. 4. China—Ethnic relations. I. Title. DS731.U4B68 2010 305.89'4323—dc22 2009052787 Columbia University Press books are printed on permanent and durable acid-free paper. This book is printed on paper with recycled content. Printed in the United States of America c 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 References to Internet Web sites (URLs) were accurate at the time of writing. Neither the author nor Columbia University Press is responsible for URLs that may have expired or changed since the manuscript was prepared. DESIGN BY MARTIN N. HINZE bovi14758_fm.indd 4 5/7/10 8:59:11 PM CONTENTS Acknowledgments vii Note on Romanization xiii Abbreviations xv Introduction 1 1. 23 Using the Past to Serve the Present 2. Heteronomy and Its Discontents 40 3. Everyday Resistance: Guerrilla Actions in the Battle over Public Opinion 80 4. Collective Action and Violence 105 5. 135 Uyghur Transnational Organizations Conclusion 159 bovi14758_fm.indd 5 5/7/10 8:59:11 PM CONTENTS Epilogue: Ürümci’s “Hot Summer” of 2009 167 Appendix: Organized Protests and Violent Events in Xinjiang, 1949–2005 173 Notes 191 References 229 Index 269 vi bovi14758_fm.indd 6 5/7/10 8:59:11 PM AcKNOWLEDGMENTS This book began as a dissertation, and I owe a great debt to the members of my committee. My chair, Vivienne Shue, deserves gratitude beyond measure. She guided me patiently in the study of Chinese politics, volleyed ideas with me over an unusually protracted research and writing process, and pushed me to think more deeply and clearly from the moment of my arrival at Cornell. Ben Anderson chal- lenged me to get beneath the facade of the “unitary” Chinese nation and to inter- rogate sources with care and humor. Valerie Bunce labored for years to make me into a comparativist; I began to see the light during a marathon series of meetings one spring. To Jonathan Lipman I owe thanks for advice not only here at home but also in an impromptu meeting over a steaming bowl of cöcürä in Ürümci on a frigid winter night. Other Cornell faculty gave generously of their time, coun- sel, and expertise. Peter Katzenstein supervised me in the world’s longest-running seminar, conducted regularly after matches in a nearly ten-year squash rivalry; he bovi14758_fm.indd 7 5/7/10 8:59:12 PM ACKNOWLEDGMENTS and Mary helped me hone my ideas in the later stages of writing. Isaac Kramnick passed on to me information about time zone irregularities in New Mexico and also helped me secure support from Cornell’s government department for a confer- ence I organized with Barry Sautman in Boston, where I was able to exchange ideas with many experts on Xinjiang and Uyghurs. Other Cornell faculty who provided valuable advice on my writing include Tom Christensen, Sherm Cochran, Brett de Bary, Ed Gunn, and Keith Taylor. The late Knight Biggerstaff made a generous gift of books from his library. Members of the Cornell staff without whom I could not have completed my program include the government department’s amazingly competent trio of Laurie Coon, Kim Shults, and Michael Busch; Laurie Damiani of the East Asia program; and librarian Charles D’Orban, who gleefully helped me with numerous bibliographic questions. I have great debts to fellow graduate students and friends at Cornell, including Ken Forsberg, Rob Culp, Rich Calichman, Mao-Mao Zhong Yumei, Lee Haiyan, Jee-Sun Lee, Paul Festa, John Gibson, Smita Lahiri, Thamora Fishel, Erick White, John Norvell, and Leda Martins. Rawi Abdelal and Adam Segal I thank for advice, critical comments, and squash. Lee Haiyan and Eric Karchmer helped me locate key texts in China. My research was supported by generous fellowships or grants from the National Science Foundation, Cornell’s peace studies and Asian studies programs, Cornell’s government department, and the Mellon Foundation. The staff and faculty of Xinjiang University provided me a home, a community of scholars, and excellent resources. I am especially grateful to Fu Chunlei of the Foreign Affairs Office, the library staff, and Li shifu and Xu dajie, who capably managed the wild-west dormitory where I lived for two years, and to their children, who brought cheer on the darkest winter days. My research in Xinjiang would simply not have been possible without the help of the brilliant teacher and linguist Muhäbbät Qasim and her family. She taught me Uyghur in my second year, introduced me to the pleasures of litera- ture and the intricacies of linguistics, fed me many a fine meal, and boosted my spirits with scholarly conversation and good cheer during the long winter months. I owe a great deal to other teachers and friends, including Abdošükür, Ablikim, Ablimit, Abdurišit, Bahargul, Mirsultan, Li Yun, Han Junkui, Niu Ruji, and Mämätjan; a special thanks to Talhat for mountain bike rides and horse sausage.
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