Terror Capitalism: Uyghur Dispossession and Masculinity in a Chinese City

In the book "Terror Capitalism," Darren Byler explores how the Chinese colonization of the Uyghur Muslim minority group in Xinjiang results in terror capitalism through ethnoracialization, surveillance, and mass detention. He shows how media infrastructures, the enforcement of "Chinese" cultural values, and the influx of Han Chinese settlers contribute to Uyghur dispossession and expulsion. Byler also highlights the experiences of young Uyghur men and how they develop masculinities and homosocial friendships to protect themselves from state violence.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 296 pages
Publication date: 09 February 2022
Publisher: Duke University Press

Anthropologist Darren Byler delves into the chilling phenomenon of contemporary Chinese colonization in the northwest autonomous region of Xinjiang, focusing on the Uyghur Muslim minority group. Through his extensive research, Byler unveils the disturbing reality of the mass detention of over one million Uyghurs in "reeducation camps," which he argues is a crucial component of the processes of resource extraction in Uyghur lands. This exploitation has given rise to what he terms "terror capitalism," a complex configuration characterized by ethnoracialization, surveillance, and mass detention that ultimately supports settler colonialism.

Byler's study is grounded in ethnographic fieldwork conducted in the regional capital of Ürümchi. Through his meticulous observations, he reveals how media infrastructures, the enforcement of "Chinese" cultural values, and the influx of Han Chinese settlers contribute to the dispossession and expulsion of Uyghurs from the city. He pays particular attention to the experiences of young Uyghur men, who are the primary targets of state violence. Byler explores how these men develop masculinities and homosocial friendships as a means of protection against gendered, ethnoracial, and economic violence.

Through his comprehensive analysis, Byler demonstrates that state-directed capitalist dispossession is intricately linked to a colonial relation of domination. He sheds light on the political and economic stakes involved in Uyghur colonization, highlighting the ways in which the Chinese government and corporations exploit the region's resources and labor to further their own interests. Byler's work serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing human rights violations and the urgent need for international intervention to address the plight of the Uyghur community.

Weight: 434g
Dimension: 153 x 227 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781478017646