Navigating Ethnic Minority Literature in the Modern Chinese State, 1978-present

Abstract

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has historically shared a contentious relationship with its ethnic minority population. This thesis delves into the ups and downs of the relations between the modern Chinese state and its major ethnic minority communities through the lens of cultural policies and popular literature. Ethnic minority literature can serve as a bridge between various minority communities and modern Chinese state policies by representing popular responses to political changes. Through a comparative study of Tibetan and Uyghur ethnic minority literature published after 1978, the thesis explores the way minority intellectuals use literature as a platform to shape and navigate their cultural and political identity. Likewise, the thesis examines the role of literature as a political tool for the twentieth and twenty-first century Chinese state as it attempted to shape a national identity through managing popular culture. Ultimately, the thesis traces the oscillating relationship between the modern Chinese state and its ethnic minority populations over time by studying the way political changes and state attitudes are both reflected in and driven by literary culture.