The significance of the religious identity of the Uigurs in their ethnocultural conflict with the Han Chinese (using the example of the XUAR of the People's Republic of China)

  • Ananina Darya Aleksandrovna et al.

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the religious identity of the Uyghurs as a central
component of their ethnocultural identity, which is realized in an ethnocultural conflict with the Han
Chinese. This goal determines the legitimacy of the principle of historicism. It allows us to trace the
development of the ethnocultural Uighur-Han conflict in historical retrospect. The dialectical
approach is used to analyze the interdependence of the religious identity of the Uyghurs and the
ethnocultural conflict. The ethnopsychological paradigm allows us to analyze transformational
processes at the level of individual consciousness, mediating the emergence of radical ideas in
Uyghur society. The study revealed that the religious identity of the Uyghurs has a pronounced
consolidating force. This allows her to act as a central element of their ethnocultural identity. The
following is noted in the article. The ethnocultural conflict is mediated by the assimilation
ethnocultural policy of the official authorities of China and the reaction of the Uyghur ethnic minority
to it. It contributes to the transformation of religious identity. It acquires destructive features, which
are manifested in the form of the spread of the ideas of radical Islam, religious extremism among the
Uyghur population, and the struggle against the “infidels” in the person of representatives of the Han
ethnic group.

Published
2020-04-13