From Empire to Nation? Nationalist Waves and Colonialism in China: A Case Study of Chinese Policies in Xinjiang in Connection to Internal Colonialism

Abstract

The Uyghurs, who are one of the 55 minority groups of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), have for decades experienced strict policies in the region of Xinjiang, in which they are the majority pop- ulation. These policies have focused heavily on encouraged migration of the Chinese ethnic majority, the Han, to Xinjiang where the percentage of the Han in the region rose from 6.2% in 1945 to 39.2% in 2008. During Mao’s rule, the initial reasoning behind the policies was that Xinjiang was of signif- icance to Chinese security, as it e.g., served as a buffer zone between the PRC and the Soviet Union. Throughout time, however, the policies have become more restricting on freedoms of the local pop- ulations, such as religious freedoms targeting the Muslim religion of the Uyghurs through closing down multiple mosques, banning certain religious practices, and “re-educating” Uyghurs at ‘Voca- tional Skills Education and Training Centers’ that teach Chinese language and culture.

This thesis aims to study these regional policies in connection to theories on internal colonialism, to challenge the traditional understanding of colonialism as simply an overseas phenomenon. In con- nection to colonialism, this study examines the measures against the Uyghurs to seek to determine whether these can be defined as genocidal, in relation to the concept of cultural genocide.

The study shows that the case of Xinjiang is not a singular unique issue of ethnic discrimination in the PRC, but rather another example of how the Chinese government does not tolerate cultures that do not align with the government’s idea of the state. This highly relates to the rise of Han-Centrism in the aftermath of the fall of the Chinese empire, as the Chinese Communist Party has struggled to create a unified nation. In line with theories on internal colonialism, this thesis argues that policies in Xinjiang are indeed of colonial character, and that these policies are resulting in a transformation and destruction of the indigenous culture and identity of the Uyghurs.