From Islamic Theocracy to Militant Secularism

Chris Hann: From Islamic Theocracy to Militant Secularism. Managing Religious and Secular Identities in China

The Qumul Khanate in eastern Xinjiang was ruled by a local Uyghur dynasty until 1930. Since 1949 it has been incorporated into the People’s Republic of China and Han Chinese have become the dominant group in the oasis center. Drawing on recent fieldwork among the Uyghur, still a majority in most rural districts, the lecture will explore how ethnic (minzu) and religious identities intersect in the era of “neoliberalism with Chinese characteristics”. The authorities continue to associate Islam with Uyghur secessionist aspirations and exercise strict controls; yet many local Muslims belong to other minzu and cannot even communicate with the Uyghur.

Chris Hann is Director of the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Halle / Saale.