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SoSe 23: Ethnic politics in historical perspective from Late Qing to Republican period

Zhe Wu

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Ethnic Politics in Historical Perspective from Late Qing to Republican Period Traditional China is not a nation-state, nor is it an "empire" like the one in the history of the western part of Eurasia. Its pluralism has accompanied its history for a long time. China and its surrounding areas function and interact under a pre-modern inner order and inter“nation”al order. At the end of the 13th century, under the rule of the Mongols, China began to transform into a "territorial state" with "cultural diversity and political unity". This process lasted until the end of the 19th century, and ended in the process of imitating the European "nation-state". From the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, under the dual pressure of external threats and internal separation, Chinese history entered the process of a second transformation. The elites of the Qing Dynasty and the subsequent elites of the Republic of China tried to integrate the internally diverse ethnic groups and cultures into the "Chinese nation", and tried to transform the Qing Dynasty or the territories inherited from the Qing Dynasty into the "nation-state" of the "Chinese nation", thus forming a kind of integration nationalist movement; At the same time, within the Qing Dynasty, some marginal areas and non-Han groups that initially accepted the indirect or loose rule of the Qing Dynasty also developed their own unique political demands in the process of communicating with China’s surrounding areas that Western countries had colonized. The ultimate goal of those groups is to break the nominal "political unity" of the Qing Dynasty and seek its own political independence, thus forming some secessionist nationalist movements. The goals of the two nationalist movements are opposed, and conflicts are accumulating. From the "New Policy" in the late Qing Dynasty, the " Five Races Under One Union" in the early Republic of China, to the KMT's "A shared blood and destiny " and the Chinese Communist Party's "national self-determination" and "national autonomy" line of competition, we can Seeing the throughout process of the "Chinese nation construction" compromising with non-Han nationalism, but not giving up the final goal of integration; Meanwhile the separation demands of Mongolia and "Inner Mongolia", Tibet and "Inner Tibet", Turkic Muslims and Chinese Speaking Muslims, also Experienced different forms of struggle, compromise and adaptation process. This seminar course will start from the historical background, sort out the clues of the two types of nationalism in modern China, and help learners to improve their understanding of the history of ethnic politics and nation-building in modern China. The course will be divided into twelve parts: 1. Historical background: Ethnic politics and Transitions of Yuan, Ming, and Qing. 2. Challenges from West Europe and East Asia, and the disintegration of the "Tianxia" order. 3. The Reshaping of the Qing Dynasty’s Ethnic Political Ecology Starting from the "Hui (Muslim) Incident". 4. Substantial political integration and the construction of the "Chinese nation". 5. Handling of Qing Dynasty Legacy: Disintegration and/or " Five Races Under One Union ". 6. The Independence of Mongolia and the Final Choice of "Inner Mongolia". 7. Tibet's Retro Politics in Responding to Challenges and Ethnic Political Changes in the "Inner Tibet" Region. 8. Xinjiang: Pan-Turkism and Uyghur Nationalism: Different Paths to the Same Goal. 9. The National Theory of the Kuomintang and the Construction of the Chinese Nation 10. Sino-Japanese War and National Integration. 11. The "Long March" and the CCP's "National" Experience. 12. The CCP’s Use of Ethnic Political Resources. The course will be conducted in a reading-discussion format. At the end of the semester, submit a semester report within 3,000 words. close

14 Class schedule

Regular appointments

Wed, 10:00 - 12:00 14 Class schedule

Wed, 2023-04-19 10:00 - 12:00

Lecturers:
Dr.phil. Zhe Wu