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The State and Minority Nationalities (Ethnic Groups) in China

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The Palgrave Handbook of Ethnicity

Abstract

In the context of racial tensions in the USA, questions over the EU project from those who have not benefitted, the treatment of asylum seekers with increasing harshness in places like Australia, and the response to refugees in Europe, a rather different example of ethnic and cultural diversity is worth attention – that of China. As the country with the largest population in the world and due to a complex history, China now has 56 officially recognized nationalities, including the Han, who number 1.2 billion. Even so, the next nine nationalities number 6–19 million each – larger than the total population of many countries in the world.

How does China deal with this situation? To begin with, the term minzu is badly translated as “ethnic group.” It is better translated as “nationality.” With its multiple nationalities, China has developed a “preferential policy” that initially followed the model of the Soviet Union and was revised substantially in the 1990s. The policy entails support for economic development, cultural traditions, language, education, literature, and local political leadership. However, the policy has also created some problems: the inherent difficulties of government classification and their unintended effects; the tensions over “separatism, extremism, and terrorism,” which has included foreign interference; and differences over the understanding and application of human rights in light of distinct traditions. Ultimately, the policy turns on the contradiction between autonomy for nationalities and the unity of the Chinese state. The question is how one deals with such a contradiction.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Liberal Arts, Renmin University of China, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

    Roland Boer

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  1. Roland Boer
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Correspondence to Roland Boer .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept of Socio & Anthro, Rm 309, Univ of Canterbury Dept of Socio & Anthro, Rm 309, Christchurch, New Zealand

    Steven Ratuva

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Anthropology and Sociology, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand

    Steven Ratuva

  2. Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand

    Steven Ratuva

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Boer, R. (2019). The State and Minority Nationalities (Ethnic Groups) in China. In: Ratuva, S. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Ethnicity. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0242-8_16-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0242-8_16-1

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-13-0242-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-13-0242-8

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