Joniak-Lüthi, Agnieszka (2013). The Han Minzu, Fragmented Identities, and Ethnicity. The Journal of Asian Studies, 72(4), pp. 849-871. Cambridge University Press 10.1017/S0021911813001095
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This paper focuses on the majority population in the People’s Republic of China—the Han—and their various collective identities. The Han play a pivotal role in consolidating the Chinese territory and the multiethnic Chinese nation. Therefore, the governments in the twentieth century have invested substantial efforts in promoting a unitary Han identity. In spite of that, powerful local identities related to native place, occupation, and family histories persist. This essay traces these identities and analyzes their intertwinement. Further, it discusses the question of ethnicity of both the Han and local identity categories,
and concludes that while Han enact ethnicity in their relations to other minzu,
local identity categories are more social than ethnic. It further posits that moments of confrontation, “degree” of ethnicity, scales of categorization, and relationality of identities are notions that should be given particular attention in the studies of ethnicity in China and elsewhere.
Item Type: |
Journal Article (Original Article) |
|---|---|
Division/Institute: |
06 Faculty of Humanities > Department of Art and Cultural Studies > Institute of Social Anthropology |
UniBE Contributor: |
Joniak, Agnieszka |
Subjects: |
300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology |
ISSN: |
0021-9118 |
Publisher: |
Cambridge University Press |
Language: |
English |
Submitter: |
Agnieszka Joniak |
Date Deposited: |
05 May 2014 12:12 |
Last Modified: |
05 Dec 2022 14:29 |
Publisher DOI: |
10.1017/S0021911813001095 |
BORIS DOI: |
10.7892/boris.43649 |
URI: |
https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/43649 |
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