Xinjiang is the ‘pivot of Asia’, where the frontiers of China, Tibet, India, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia approach each other. The growing Uyghur demand for a separate homeland and continuing violence in Xinjiang have brought this region into the focus of national and international attention. With Xinjiang becoming the hub of trans-Asian trade and traffic , and also due to its rich energy resources, Uyghur Muslims of Xinjiang are poised to assert their ethno-political position, thereby posing serious challenge to China’s authority in the region.
This book offers a new perspective on the region, with a focus on social, economic and political developments in Xinjiang in modern and contemporary times. Drawing on detailed analyses by experts on Xinjiang from India, Central Asia, Russia, Taiwan and China, this book presents a coherent, concise and rich analysis of ethnic relations, Uyghur resistance, China’s policy in Xinjiang and its economic relations with its Central Asian neighbours.
It is of interest to those studying in Chinese and Central Asian politics and society, International Relations and Security Studies.
1. Introduction 2. Cultural Heritage of Xinjiang 3. Energy and Natural Resources in Xinjiang 4. Xinjiang under the Qings 5. Rethinking Ethnicity in China 6. China’s Ethnic Tangle with Special Reference to Xinjiang 7. China’s Policy in Xinjiang, 1949-1978 8. Kazakh Diaspora in Xinjiang 9. Economic Cooperation between Central Asian Republics and Xinjiang Region of China 10. Xinjiang Factor in Kazakhstan-China Relations 11. Cross-border Interaction between Xinjiang and South Siberia in Central Asia: The Big Altai Approach 12. Economic and Social Development in Xinjiang 13. China’s Western Development Programme in Xinjiang 14. Religious Policies in Xinjiang 15. Ethno-Religious Separatism in Xinjiang and China’s Response 16. Uyghur Nationalism and 5 July 2009 Incident in Urumqi
Biography
K.Warikoo is Professor of Central Asian Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, India. He has authored several books on Kashmir, Central Asia and Afghanistan, and is the founding editor of the quarterly journal Himalayan and Central Asian Studies. His books Religion and Security in South and Central Asia and Himalayan Frontiers of India have been published by Routledge in 2011 and 2009 respectively.
"This volume is a valuable addition to the existing scholarship about Xinjiang, extending our understanding of Xinjiang’s history, its ethnic-religious diversity, its relations with neighbouring Central Asian countries, and China’s efforts in stabilizing this geo-strategic region, both for experts and general readers." – Hang Lin, ASIEN 2016
