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Creating a ‘new Yi’ for the Chinese nation. Rethinking modernity and the Yi during the republican period

Creating a ‘new Yi’ for the Chinese nation. Rethinking modernity and the Yi during the republican period
Creating a ‘new Yi’ for the Chinese nation. Rethinking modernity and the Yi during the republican period
This paper proposes to re-examine the relationship of the Yi people of southwest China with the many aspects of modernity that began to imbricate China’s southwest borderlands during the Republican period (1912-1949). This repertoire of Chinese Republican modernity which emphasized anti-imperialism, ethnic equality, modern education and warfare among others were key elements in the shaping of a modern Yi identity among a young elite that was brought into the Guomindang orbit. This paper in particular focuses on the career of a young Yi tusi, Ling Guangdian, who was trained under the Guomindang and then served in the Liangshan region. Ling’s career and actions during this period evidenced the ways in which ethnic minorities in China could use these discursive elements of modernity for the benefit of their own people conceived as a nation (minzu) albeit within the confines of the Chinese nation-state.
china, ethnic minorities, ethnicity, guomindang, liangshan, ling guangdian, modernity, post-war period, republican period, sichuan, sino-Jjpanese war, xikang, yi, yunnan
1463-1369
Rodriguez, Andres
62332ead-50aa-4a12-9d10-e841d3724ecb
Rodriguez, Andres
62332ead-50aa-4a12-9d10-e841d3724ecb

Rodriguez, Andres (2012) Creating a ‘new Yi’ for the Chinese nation. Rethinking modernity and the Yi during the republican period. Asian Ethnicity. (Submitted)

Record type: Article

Abstract

This paper proposes to re-examine the relationship of the Yi people of southwest China with the many aspects of modernity that began to imbricate China’s southwest borderlands during the Republican period (1912-1949). This repertoire of Chinese Republican modernity which emphasized anti-imperialism, ethnic equality, modern education and warfare among others were key elements in the shaping of a modern Yi identity among a young elite that was brought into the Guomindang orbit. This paper in particular focuses on the career of a young Yi tusi, Ling Guangdian, who was trained under the Guomindang and then served in the Liangshan region. Ling’s career and actions during this period evidenced the ways in which ethnic minorities in China could use these discursive elements of modernity for the benefit of their own people conceived as a nation (minzu) albeit within the confines of the Chinese nation-state.

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More information

Submitted date: 2012
Keywords: china, ethnic minorities, ethnicity, guomindang, liangshan, ling guangdian, modernity, post-war period, republican period, sichuan, sino-Jjpanese war, xikang, yi, yunnan
Organisations: History

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 336389
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/336389
ISSN: 1463-1369
PURE UUID: 1bb97d63-b28f-4e77-90fc-a99643f7881e

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Date deposited: 26 Mar 2012 11:07
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 10:42

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Contributors

Author: Andres Rodriguez

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