Leiden University Student Repository

Haighton, Marit (2015)

Education of Muslims in the People's Republic of China: From Control to Uncontrollable?

Bachelor thesis | Chinastudies (BA)

Since the beginning of the PRC, the government has vigorously influenced the identity of its citizens, by both controlling and stimulating the Muslim aspect of its citizens’ identities. The various outcomes of these actions range from cooperation with the state to the recent separatist stances from Chinese Muslims towards their government. This thesis investigates the factors that influence the teaching of the ‘Islamic-Chinese’ identity, such as the development of state education for Muslims; Muslim private education; the influence of study abroad; the legal framework on religious education; the influences on employment prospects; and the influences of globalization. This thesis argues that both in response to and accommodated by the Chinese government’s utilitarian approach to Muslim Chinese, from the 1980s onwards the Muslim Chinese communities created a more “Muslim” identity in ways (unforeseen and) uncontrollable by the government.

Islamic-Chinese identity

Religious education

Ethnic identity

Hui

Uighur

China

Muslims

Author

Haighton, Marit

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Supervisors

Teh, Limin

ECTS Credits

10

Language

en