Pure and True: The Everyday Politics of Ethnicity for China's Hui Muslims

The Chinese Communist Party uses the Hui, China's largest Muslim ethnic group, as a model minority and showcases their harmonious relations as an example of its success in ethnic politics. Despite lacking a common homeland or language, the Hui express a common ethnic identity. Pure and True explores the conduct of ethnic politics within Hui communities and between Hui and the Chinese party-state, finding that boundaries of Hui identity are contested primarily among groups rather than between Hui and the state. The state manages ethnic politics by channeling contentious politics toward internal boundaries.

Format: Hardback
Length: 268 pages
Publication date: 22 March 2022
Publisher: University of Washington Press

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) holds the Hui, China's largest Muslim ethnic group, up as a model minority and showcases its harmonious relations with the community as evidence of its success in ethnic politics. Despite having a population of over ten million, the Hui lack a shared homeland or a distinct language and have been divided by sect, class, region, and language for a long time. Despite these divisions, they still express a common ethnic identity.

The book "Pure and True" delves into the conduct of ethnic politics within Hui communities in cities such as Jinan, Beijing, Xining, and Yinchuan, as well as their interactions with the Chinese party-state. By examining how Hui maintain their ethnic identity through daily practices, the book sheds light on China's management of relations with its religious and ethnic minority communities.

The study finds that the boundaries of Hui identity are contested primarily among groups of Hui rather than between Hui and the state. This is due to state-sponsored urbanization projects and in-country migration, which have led to the blurring of traditional distinctions. As a result, understandings of what constitutes "proper" or "correct" forms of Hui identity vary across professional, class, regional, sectarian, and other lines.

The state utilizes this contested terrain to manage ethnic politics and maintain control. By channeling contentious politics toward internal boundaries, the state is able to prevent conflicts from escalating and maintain stability. The book provides valuable insights into the complex dynamics of ethnic identity, state-minority relations, and the management of diversity in China.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780295749822