[Discussion] Xinjiang: Central Asia or China?

[sule tarakcioglu]

CONF.- Xinjiang: Central Asia or China?, March 13, Univ of California, 
Berkeley

Saturday, March 13, 2004
9:00 am-4:00 pm
Heyns Room, The Faculty Club
University of California, Berkeley

Free and open to the public. A schedule will be announced.

The Caucasus and Central Asia Program (CCAsP) at the University of 
California, Berkeley, invites you to attend its fourth annual 
conference, "Xinjiang: Central Asia or China?"

This conference seeks to explore how identities in Xinjiang were, and 
continue to be shaped today and how those markers lead to cross-border 
and transnational connection. In light of the above, "Xinjiang: Central 
Asia or China?" would like to address (among others) the following issues:

Modern Political Landscape

* How has the fall of the Soviet Union and the ensuing independence of   
Central Asian States had an impact on ethnic nationalism and separatist 
  movements in Xinjiang?
* How have groups in Xinjiang - if so - aligned themselves with outside 
  support for their cause(s)?
* How has China reacted to these trends by trying to seek alliances 
across   linguistic, cultural and political boundaries?

Nationality Policies in China

* How were the various nationalities constructed in China and what is 
the   breakdown of nationalities in Xinjiang?
* What are the relationships among the various Turkic groups within   
Xinjiang and how do the view the separatist cause?

Political and Cultural Nationalism

* How does political and cultural nationalism manifest itself in 
Xinjiang?   What role does language and religion play in the 
construction of   nationalism?
* What are some of the modern/popular strategies of expression with 
regard   to political and cultural nationalism?

Xinjiang Studies within Academia

* Has Xinjiang been adequately addressed within Academia? If not, what 
are   the reasons that it still remains a black hole? If so, what has 
been the   lens through which the Turkic Muslim culture has been perceived?
* Given that populations in Xinjiang have both ethnic and religious   
connections to Central Asia, to what extent are these connections   
heightened, and in what ways does that create a more "Asian" identity 
for   some Central Asian republics?

The conference will include, among others, the following participants:

Prof. Dru Gladney - topic TBA
University of Hawaii, Manoa. Dru Gladney is professor of Asian Studies 
and Anthropology. A Ph.D in Social Anthropology from the University of 
Washington, Seattle, he has been a Fulbright Research Scholar twice, and 
has conducted extensive field research in China, Central Asia and 
Turkey. He is the author of many books, including Muslim Chinese: Ethnic 
Nationalism in the Peoples Republic (Harvard University Press, 1996) and 
Ethnic Identity in China: The Making of a Muslim Minority Nationality 
(Harcourt Brace, 1998).

Prof. Gardner Bovingdon - "Thinking Theoretically About Resistance in 
Xinjiang"
Department of Central Eurasian Studies, Indiana University
Prof. Bovingdon received his Ph.D. from Cornell in 2002 and is a 
specialist on the history of Xinjiang, contemporary Xinjiang politics, 
and nationalism and ethnic conflict.

Dr. Dolkun Kamberi - "Nationalities & Cultural Heritage of Central Asia"
Radio Free Asia
An Uyghur archaeologist, Dr. Kamberi has extensive experience conducting 
fieldwork in Xinjiang. In addition, Dr. Kamberi is a Uyghur activist who 
currently works for Radio Free Asia.

Dr. Michael Dillon - "Uyghur Separatism and Nationalism in Xinjiang"
Department of East Asian Studies, University of Durham, UK
Michael Dillon is a Senior Lecturer in Modern Chinese history, 
specializing in Muslim China. He has written several works on Muslim 
ethnic identity in China.

Dr. Alma Kunanbaeva - "The Kazakhs in Xinjiang: Identity Through Music"
Visiting professor, UC Berkeley
Dr. Kunanbaeva teaches courses on Kazakh language, culture, and identity.

Prof. Wen-hsin Yeh - panelist and discussant
Department of History, University of California, Berkeley
Prof. Yeh teaches courses on modern China in UC Berkeley's History 
department and her research interests include social and cultural 
history of China.

Prof. Patricia Berger - panelist and discussant
History of Art, University of California, Berkeley. Prof. Berger teaches 
Chinese art at UC Berkeley and has worked extensively on the art of 
Xinjiang. She has taught courses on Tunhuang and has traveled through 
the region.

For more information, please contact the Caucasus and Central Asia 
Program at ccasp@uclink.berkeley.edu

A map and directions to the Berkeley campus can be found on the 
university website: www.berkeley.edu (and www.berkeley.edu/map)