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Ethnic Identity of the Kam People in Contemporary China: Government versus Local Perspectives book cover

1st Edition

Ethnic Identity of the Kam People in Contemporary China Government versus Local Perspectives

By Wei Wang, Lisong Jiang Copyright 2022
    150 Pages
    by Routledge

    150 Pages 9 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    150 Pages 9 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge
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    Based on three years of fieldwork in Zhanli, a remote Kam Village in Guizhou Province, Wang and Jiang explore the complex dynamics between the discursive practices of the local government and the villagers in relation to the reconstruction of Kam identity in response to social change, particularly the rise of rural tourism.

    China’s profound demographic and socio-economic transformation has intensified the dominance of Han culture and language and seriously challenged the traditional cultures in ethnic minority areas. The authors draw on multiple empirical sources, including in-depth interviews with Kam villagers and local officials, field observations, media discourse, local archives and government documents. They present an engaging account of the significant compromises that government and villagers have made in relation to ethnic identity in the name of economic development, and of the tensions and struggles that characterise the ongoing process of ethnic identity reconstruction.

    Students and researchers in sociolinguistics, ethnography, and discourse studies, especially those with an interest in Chinese discourse, and everyone interested in issues around ethnicity (minzu) issues in China, will find this book a valuable resource.


     

    Foreword Acknowledgements 1 Introduction The Chinese nation (Zhonghua Minzu ), ethnic minorities, and the Kam people The cultural reconstruction campaign for China’s ethnic minorities Multiple perspectives on ethnic identity Research aims and linguistic ethnography An overview of the book References 2 The Kam people in China and Zhanli Kam village The Kam in historical context The ethnic classification project (1950s)Social development in the Kam area since the 1980s Reconstruction of the Kam culture, language, and ethnic identity (2000s) Zhanli Village References 3 Ethnic identity reconstruction: Local government’s perceptions and practices Intangible cultural heritage protection Local government’s planning and practice The alignment of local practices with the socio-political milieu References 4 Encounters with local villagers in Zhanli Group 1: The local villagers Group 2: Educated people returning to the village Group 3: Outbound migrant workers from the village References 5 Three case studies from Zhanli Group 1: Wu A Group 2: Wu B Group 3: Wu C References 6 Reconstruction of ethnic culture and identity in the Kam community Practices and processes of ethnic identity reconstruction in the Kam community Ethnic identity and the Kam people in and from Zhanli Tensions and differences between the perspectives of government and local people Reflections on the reconstruction of ethnic identity and culture in China Conclusion and future research References List of figures List of tables Index

    Biography

    Dr Wei Wang is an Associate Professor and the Chair of the Department of Chinese Studies at the University of Sydney, Australia. His research interests include discourse studies, sociolinguistics, translation studies, and language education. His recent research focuses on sociolinguistics and (critical) discourse analysis, especially contemporary Chinese discourse, and is characterised by a highly interdisciplinary approach. He is the author of multilpe books and journal articles across these subject areas.

    　

    Dr Lisong Jiang is an Associate Professor in anthropology at Southwest University, China. His academic interests include historiography, historical anthropology, and cultural anthropology. His recent research focuses on historical anthropology, especially on studies of the literary texts of Southwest China in the early Qing Dynasty. He has published extensively on ethnic studies, including a previous monograph and multiple journal articles.

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