China's Mongols at University by Zhao Zhenzhou;On Lee Wing;

Author:Zhao, Zhenzhou;On Lee, Wing;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lexington Books
Published: 2010-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Daily Life Discourse: Ethnic Cultural Representation

This section concentrates on the third discourse of the university, the daily life discourse. Three themes stand out: downplaying ethnicity (duanhua), who are regarded as minority minzu on campus, and curiosity and devaluation of minorities.

Downplaying Ethnicity

From an administrative point of view, the university should be committed to downplaying ethnicity and promoting ethnic integration. For example, an administrative staff in the CYLC articulated that minority students were arranged separately in different dorm rooms and mingled with Han students, because minorities might easily form a clique and make trouble (Oct. 11, 2004). In her view, this kind of arrangement could improve communication among students and further foster the cultural integration of different ethnic groups. Moreover, as noted above, regulations for the Federation of Student Associations allowed minority students to set up their own associations, although in reality the university neither embraced nor inhibited this practice. Authorities often thought of student gatherings as a threat to state security, especially gatherings of Tibetans and Uyghurs. A teacher in the Office of Student Affairs offered such an example:

Several Uyghur students came to my office to submit a program proposal. They wanted to teach Uyghur students their own ethnic language. That proposal stated that this program aimed to develop communication between Uyghur and Han students. Even so, our leaders refused it due to concerns of security. Anyway, the leaders do not seem to support student gatherings, especially Tibetan and Uyghurs. The hidden rule was “the less business, the better. Without any business is the best.” (Nov. 12, 2004)

In this context, the best way of showing respect for minority culture was through performances of ethnic song and dance at parties. On one hand, entertainment did not relate to state security; on the other hand, minorities could have an opportunity to represent their distinctive cultural practices. Mongol students were often encouraged to perform a song or dance in party shows, but not suggested to speak the Mongolian language. A tutor in the Department of English informed that she had been forcing these Mongol students to speak Chinese. “I told them, either Chinese or English, but not Mongolian” (Nov. 11, 2004). Based on my observations, ethnic songs and dances were frequently performed in sorts of the parties organized by the departments and the university. As Gladney indicates: “One cannot be exposed to China without being confronted by its ‘colorful’ minorities. They sing, they dance; they twirl, they whirl. Most of all, they smile, showing their happiness to be part of the motherland.5

Apart from the concerns regarding integration, another reason for downplaying ethnic issues was that almost all minority students, except Uyghurs and Tibetans, were highly Sinicized. A Han student noted: “You cannot identify who are minority minzu and who are not” (Oct. 9, 2004). Thus, the Han staff and students reinforced that the ethnic division need not be highlighted on campus. Additionally, it was the perception of the Han students I interviewed that minority students did not prefer to behave differently, and consciously tried to downplay their ethnic identity.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.