Xinjiang vs East Turkestan
From Bitter Winter:
Xinjiang:
(Officially the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region). The “autonomous” region of China whose largest ethnic group is Uyghurs, with another 7% of Ethnic Kazakhs, and Islam as the majority religion. The World Uyghur Congress and other Uyghur organizations do not accept the name Xinjiang, which means “New Frontier” or “New Borderland” and was imposed by Imperial China in 1884, after it conquered or rather reconquered the region, that it had already occupied between 1760 and 1860. Uyghurs prefer the name “East Turkestan,” which was also used by two ephemeral independent states, known as the First (1933) and the Second (1944–49) East Turkestan Republics.
In the last 40 years, and particularly since 1990s, for Uyghurs the name represents many things, among them: a desire for independence; a rejection of the Chinese colonialist narrative; and, in the face of Han-migration and the resulting demographic and economic changes, a signal for a strong ethnic identity.
In the view of PRC authorities, however, the pan-Turkic sentiment imbued in the term Eastern Turkestan—the “eastern homeland of the Turks”—is antithetical to national unity. Even prior to the latest Strike Hard Campaign that began in 2014, many Uyghurs advocating for more autonomy or expressing support for the name East Turkestan were accused by Chinese authorities of encouraging “separatist activities”, and given long prison sentences. [1] [2] [3]
A map of modern day Xinjiang (highlighted yellow)
Key Reading
East Turkistan - A History (World Uyghur Congress)
This summary from the World Uyghur Congress covers the history of the region, as well as its geography, language, medicine and culture.
A Uighurs' History of China. (History Today, 2020)
This article by Michael Dillon lays out the historical background behind the ongoing repression in Xinjiang.
The following three reports provide further insight into the history of the region since 1949, expanding on the promises of autonomy offered by the CCP versus the reality once they came to power in 1949, and providing additional context for the changes in Uyghur ethnic identity and the resulting of the term East Turkestan and what it represents.
Demographics and Development in Xinjiang After 1949 (East West Center, 2004)
Autonomy In Xinjiang: Han Nationalist Imperatives and Uyghur Discontent (East West Center, 2004)