Writing the Sino-Muslims into a local history of Xinjiang

ISSN： 1465-3354

Source： Central Asian Survey, Vol.31, Iss.3, 2012-09, pp. : 327-342

Disclaimer: Any content in publications that violate the sovereignty, the constitution or regulations of the PRC is not accepted or approved by CNPIEC.

Previous Menu Next

Abstract

The objective of this article is to look beneath the regional history of Xinjiang itself and examine the way in which, from the late Qing to the contemporary era, the state has recorded (and arguably failed to record) the local history of Sino-Muslim communities in Xinjiang. It will focus on the shifting relationship that the state has had with both the Sino-Muslims and the region itself, but also the political trends that have so constrained the telling of a local history that encompasses their experiences. At issue here is not whether the Sino-Muslims should be regarded as a distinct nationality or ethnic group, nor their claim to be `local' (bendi ren</i>), but rather the way in which this particular community, or indeed communities, have been reflected and recorded in the state's evolving narrative of the history of modern Xinjiang.