Yan Sun - From Empire to Nation State

Cambridge University Press is part of the University of Cambridge.

It furthers the Universitys mission by disseminating knowledge in the pursuit of education, learning, and research at the highest international levels of excellence.

Yan Sun 2020

This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press.

First published 2020

A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library.

Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

To my father, Sun Zhixiang

October 11, 1933June 23, 2019

Distinguished Professor of Russian Language

This book represents almost a decade of work since I first became interested in the topic of Chinas ethnic politics in the wake of the Lhasa riot of March 2008 and the Urumqi riot of 2009. It is an accumulation of extensive field trips, conversations, and archival research in different regions of China. Ethnic politics is such a politically sensitive topic in China that few foreign (especially US) based scholars may be willing to undertake a project like this, for a lack of local access in China. Thus, I wish to thank the hundreds of people across China who have shared their time and knowledge to help me understand a highly delicate subject. Without them, this project would not have been possible, either physically or intellectually.

For introducing me to research resources, contacts, and trips in minority regions in China, I extend my heartfelt thanks to Professor Ma Rong of Beijing University, Professor Yang Minghong of Sichuan University, Mr. Ming Hao of the research office of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission (SEAC), and Mr. Rigzin Losel of the Tibetology Center of China. They are among the many scholars and policy analysts whom I have met at conferences on minority issues in China. Between them they represent four different ethnicities and diverse perspectives on Chinas ethnic policy. Professor Ma first introduced me to Xinjiang in the early 2010s by bringing me to two conferences in Xinjiang and then on field trips with his research team across southern Xinjiang. He also introduced me to a forum of ethnic scholars in Qinghai, a heavily multiethnic province. Professor Yang, during three summers between 2014 and 2017, brought me along with his research teams on field trips in Tibetan prefectures of Sichuan and several prefectures in Tibet itself. Mr. Ming Hao introduced me to several forums on minority issues in China, and through his assistance I was able to take field trips in Yanbian, a Korean autonomous prefecture. Mr. Losel, a Tibetan historian, introduced me to many aspects of intraelite politics in Tibetan history and local politics in contemporary Tibetan communities. Throughout my project I have benefited greatly from their local knowledge, their generosity to answer my questions, and their assistance with local access and resources.

For intellectual guidance and support, I owe enormous debts to Professor Dingxin Zhao of the University of Chicago and my colleague at CUNY, Professor Lenny Markovitz. Professor Zhaos astute knowledge of historical empires, and of Chinese political and social institutions both historically and in contemporary times, helped to sharpen my conceptual framework and empirical analyses. Despite his busy schedules between Chicago and Hangzhou, he took time to make informed and constructive comments throughout the entire manuscript. I am also grateful to him for opportunities to present parts of my project at the East Asia Forum at the University of Chicago and the western development symposium at Zhejiang University. Professor Markovitz, my long-time colleague at CUNY, has given me much moral and intellectual support throughout my career. He took time to read and comment on the entire manuscript. As co-editor for the Journal of Comparative Politics for decades, he has a knack for critical insights and valuable feedback. Without the encouragement and wisdom of these two professional colleagues, I may not have had the confidence to carry to completion a study whose subject matter can seem too contentious to handle with balance, dispassion, and patience. In addition, I am grateful to Dr. Andrew Mertha, previously at Cornell University and now at Johns Hopkins University, for reading my entire manuscript and offering constructive comments. In this connection, I also thank the anonymous reviewers for Cambridge University Press, whose criticisms and corrections helped to improve my manuscript.

For assisting me in local accommodation, travel, and research, I am indebted to many relatives in southern Xinjiang. Given the current political climate in the region, it is prudent to mention just three who would unlikely face any risk for having hosted a foreign-based relative/researcher. My cousin Ling, who passed away in 2017 at the age of forty-eight, was an agricultural specialist who worked with Uighur farmers throughout his career in a rural county of the Uighur south. My cousin Ping, unemployed since the late 1990s, introduced me to her world of downsized workers from local state factories. Finally, her husband Yong, who passed away in 2017 at the age of fifty-eight, was a staff member in a local government with rich knowledge of local politics. I benefited greatly from staying with them, joining in and observing their daily activities, interacting with their local communities, and visiting places which I could not have done otherwise. Born locally, their fluency in spoken Uighur gave me the necessary tools for local communication. I am also grateful to two other local cousins in whose homes I stayed, and to these and other relatives whose local knowledge and experiences have remained a source of reality checking for me.