MA International Relations (Research) / Course details

Though ethnic majority Han comprise 90% of China’s total population, policies and politics surrounding the 10% of China’s ethnic minority population stand at the centre of China’s overall legitimation and governance strategies. As the recent crises surrounding the internment of Uyghurs and the securitization of ethnic identity in Tibet and Xinjiang suggests, matters of ethnic politics are a primary concern to the Chinese Communist Party as they attempt to create ruling stability. Why does the CCP pay so much attention to ethnicity? What issues form the core of ethnic politics in China? What effect does the CCP’s implementation of ethnic policies have on the quality of life, economic opportunities, human rights, and cultural preservation for China’s ethnic minorities? How do these policies provoke and manage resistance to the state among ethnic minorities?

This course seeks to provide a comprehensive introduction to China’s ethnic politics. It begins by establishing a historical introduction to ethnic relations in China dating back to the Imperial era, and continuing through the establishment of the current minzu system of ethnic classification enacted by the Chinese Communist Party beginning in the 1950s. Following this introduction, the course will provide an overview of the system of ethnic classification and registry, paying particular attention to the designation of territory as minority autonomous regions, and assessing what privileges autonomy confers in practical terms. Further, we will examine how the state includes ethnic politics in legitimating propaganda, and how depicting China as a harmonious, multi-ethnic society plays a pivotal role in the larger legitimation strategies employed by the regime.

After establishing the regime’s overall method of conducting ethnic politics we will examine a number of topics in the field. These will include subjects like examining how art and culture depict ethnic minorities as primitive and exotic, thus reinforcing claims of Han-centrism and Han superiority. We will also look at how autonomy policies impact political economy, particularly in assessing how choices regarding language study weigh cultural preservation against economic viability. We will consider how the state regulates ethnic religious practices and consider how identity and security are constructed in state aims. We will also consider how lack of registration impacts groups who do not fit into prescribed state categories, and the impacts this has on them.

Lastly, we will conclude the course with several discussions aimed at assessing successes and failures in ethnic policy and overall trajectories for the future. We will examine the politics of Han Supremacism and how they respond to China’s emphasis on multi-ethnic pluralism. We will assess the “Second Generation” of ethnic policies that intend to stress assimilationism, and we will attempt to discuss what the future might hold. We will close with an assessment of whether China’s policies are ultimately successful or whether the outbreak of resistance indicates failures on the part of the state to implement ethnic policies.

By the end of the course students will be familiar with the system of ethnic politics in China as a whole, and understand how these issues impact China’s overall governance and legitimation strategy. They will be able to describe the social and economic impact of ethnic minority politics, and will be able to offer assessment of the future viability of China’s current system of ethnic politics.

Students will be expected to access and read set texts every week which can be downloaded via blackboard and the university library. Research will involve wider use of library search tools and relevant empirical sources. Seminar presentations will allow students to develop skills in summarizing and communicating academic arguments for the purpose of academic critique. Weekly seminar discussion will involve debate on cases, ideas and concepts. Research papers will promote student’s analysis of contemporary issues facing China’s ethnic politics by observing a particular case in-depth.

• Critically describe the formulation and implementation of ethnic policies in the People’s Republic of China.
• Assess and analyse the means by which the PRC’s ethnicity policies impact matters of governance, interethnic relations, economic systems, human rights, cultural preservation, and ruling legitimacy claims.
• Demonstrate a working knowledge of the development of ethnic politics under PRC rule over the last 70 years, and current political science theories of ethnicity and nationalism.

• Assess the institutional format of the Chinese government’s ethnic policies and its role in regulating minority populations within China.
• Analyse the impact of social phenomena on the conduct of ethnic policies developed by the Chinese state.

• Critically engage with academic literature on Chinese ethnic politics and contemporary Chinese society
• Discuss and debate the current topics in Chinese ethnic politics society with their peers
• Write and edit research papers on a topic in Chinese ethnic politics for an academic

• Greater awareness of ethnic politics
• Enhanced analytical skills
• Increased ability to debate complex ideas with colleagues
• Increased experience in communicating vital information in Chinese politics to academic audiences
• Increased understanding of general theories of nationalism and ethnic politics

• Gladney, Dru C., Dislocating China, Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press (2004)
• Ethnic conflict and protest in Tibet and Xinjiang: unrest in China's West.  Ben Hillman and Gray Tuttle, eds., New York: Columbia University Press (2016).
• Cultural encounters on China's ethnic frontiers , Stevan Harrell, ed. Seattle: Univ. of Washington Press (1995).
• McCarthy, Susan. Communist Multiculturalism, Seattle: University of Washington Press (2009)
• Mullaney, Thomas S., Coming to terms with the nation : ethnic classification in modern China, Berkeley: Univ. of California Press (2011)
• Schein, Louisa. Minority Rules, Durham, NC: Duke Univ. Press (2007)

Timetable

Tuesday 1.00-3.00pm