Abstract
Since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, central government officials have been unable to agree on a single policy of how to deal with the 55 officially designated ethnic minorities in China. For many minorities, especially ones with small populations or those who have lived in close proximity to Han Chinese for centuries, the problems have been minor. When it comes to others, however, i.e., those who have had little contact with Chinese over the centuries and who have experienced some form of self-government, the authorities in Beijing have struggled to find a workable solution. One set of policies were enforced during the 1950s, only to be changed in the 1960s and then changed again in the 1970s, further altered in the 1980s. Since the early 1990s China’s policy towards the restive minorities has been one of economic growth. Their hope is that a substantial increase in the material well-being of these peoples will lead to a reduction in strong ethnic solidarity and nationalism. Billions upon billions of renmenbi have been pumped into these regions, especially Tibet and, to a lesser degree, Xinjiang. This chapter explores these policies, the ideology behind them and looks at the results of this massive investment strategy.
Earlier drafts of this chapter were presented at the “Beijing Forum: The Harmony of Civilizations and Prosperity for All—Diversity in the Development of Human Civilization,” Beijing, PRC, 2007 and the “Left Forum,” New York City, 2011.
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Notes
- 1.
See http://www.unpo.org, last accessed on August 15, 2012.
- 2.
This notion is widespread. Recently the President of the Romanian Senate has ridiculed the “ethnic obsessions” of the Hungarian minority in his country and urged “economic strengthening” (Szilak 2011).
- 3.
Not all minorities can be described this way. For a distinctly different ethnic minority experience see Lankov (2007).
- 4.
One slogan from the Tunisian revolt during the Arab Spring was “dignity before bread” (Friedman 2011).
- 5.
From Minzue Tuanjie (7, 1985:10) and Nei menggu shehui kexue (4, 1984:19). Quoted in Heberer (1989).
- 6.
- 7.
The Chinese original can be accessed at http://www.china.com.cn/policy/txt/2007-08/03/content_8623414_2.htm.
- 8.
Bovingdon calls Chinese rule in Xinjiang “colonial…because the Uygurs I spoke to experienced as such” (Bovingdon 2002:69).
- 9.
While there are many ethnic minority ganbu (cadres) the evidence shows that they are unable to express any views that are counter to government policies.
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Grunfeld, A.T. (2014). A Harmonious Society: National Policies and Ethnic Relations. In: Hao, Z., Chen, S. (eds) Social Issues in China. International Perspectives on Social Policy, Administration, and Practice, vol 1. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-2224-2_8
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