All Reading
This section contains a curated list of useful articles, investigations, books and other reading materials. The list is updated on a weekly basis and suggestions for additions are welcome.
Starting Points:
Forced Marriage of Uyghur Women: State Policies for Interethnic Marriage
This report examines the state-sponsored campaign of forcefully assimilating Uyghurs through coerced inter-ethnic marriages between Han men and Uyghur women.
The “Xinjiang Papers”: How Xi Jinping commands Chinese policy
This report shows how the Xinjiang papers reveal the centralised decision-making behind the persecution of Uyghurs in Xinjiang.
Genocidal processes: social death in Xinjiang
This paper builds on critical genocide studies literature to historically contextualize China’s “fusion” policy used to justify its policies of extralegal internment camps and inter-generational separation in Xinjiang.
‘Ethnic extinction’ in northwest China
State policies in education are forcing Uyghur children to grow up in non-Muslim, Mandarin-speaking environments. Uyghur culture is being lost as a result.
The Roots of Cultural Genocide in Xinjiang
The notion that a genocide is underway in the twenty-first century seems outlandish. But whatever the merits of the term, the evidence of the atrocities that China has committed against Uyghurs is undeniable.
Securing China's Northwest Frontier: Identity and Insecurity in Xinjiang
In the first study to incorporate majority Han and minority Uyghur perspectives on ethnic relations in Xinjiang following mass violence during July 2009, David Tobin analyses how official policy shapes identity and security dynamics on China's northwest frontier. He explores how the 2009 violence unfolded and how the party-state responded to ask how official identity narratives and security policies shape practices on the ground.
The Spectre of Insecurity: The CCP’s Mass Internment Strategy in Xinjiang
Based on a close reading of official sources, this article explores the evolution of China’s mass internment strategy and the key policy-drivers, institutions, and actors in Xinjiang policy over the last decade.
Hu the Uniter: Hu Lianhe and the Radical Turn in China’s Xinjiang Policy
One of the leading figures of a new generation of PRC ethnic policymakers, Hu Lianhe’s public defense of Xinjiang’s “anti-extremism” strategy suggests his close involvement in the policy’s design and implementation.
Why the Carrot isn’t Working, Either
The Chinese government thinks it can thwart unrest among ethnic minorities by raising their incomes. But prosperity doesn't buy loyalty.
China’s Wild West: A Cautionary Tale of Ethnic Conflict and Development
While the international media has extensively analyzed the demonstrations and street clashes in Turkey, Brazil and Egypt over the last several weeks, what is happening in China’s Xinjiang may be no less significant to future geopolitics.
Present-Day Ethnic Problems in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region: Overview and Recommendations
Written by now-imprisoned Uyghur economist Ilham Tohti, this article analyzes the underlying causes of ethnic tensions in Xinjiang, and offers recommendations for protecting the basic rights of Xinjiang’s citizens.
Ethnic Clashes in China: Uighurs vs. Han Chinese
The Chinese government blanketed Urumqi, the capital of China's far western Xinjiang region, with 20,000 new security troops on Wednesday, as thousands of residents began to flee following the deadly ethnic clashes that erupted over the weekend. The unrest has become a major challenge for this country's Communist leaders. In a sign of their growing concern about the situation, President Hu Jintao canceled plans to attend the Group of Eight summit in Italy and rushed home early Wednesday.