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Major Determinants of Uyghur Ethnic Consciousness in Ürümchi

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 May 2013

XIAOWEI ZANG
XIAOWEI ZANG*
Affiliation:
University of Sheffield, UK Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Rising Uyghur ethnic consciousness in the post-1978 era is believed to cause tense Uyghur-Han relations and conflicts in Xinjiang. There are different accounts linking rising Uyghur consciousness with variables such as Han migration into Xinjiang, ethnic inequalities, Uyghur language, and Islamic religiosity. Yet there is no concrete effort to summarize, elaborate, and verify these accounts. Nor is there a quantitative study of the levels of Uyghur ethnic consciousness in Xinjiang. Using data from a survey (N = 799) conducted in Ürümchi in 2007, this paper shows a high level of ethnic consciousness among Uyghurs. It also shows that Uyghur consciousness is based more on cultural and psychological properties than on instrumental sentiments.

Type
Research Article
Information
Modern Asian Studies , Volume 47 , Issue 6 , November 2013 , pp. 2046 - 2071
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

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