Between Tibetan and Chinese: Identity and Language in the Chinese Southwest

摘要

This paper focuses on the ongoing process of changing local ethnic identities in the Southwest of China. The analysis is based on a comparison of two ethnic groups: Xm and Bim, both officially classified as Tibetans. While the experienced ethnic identity of the Xm is in conformity with their official classification, the Bim feel their own identity as being distinct from the classification imposed by the state. The related changes in local identities are examined with special emphasis on the role played by the Xm and Bim languages in creating and assessing group identity. I conclude that for both groups, albeit for various reasons, language is neither the major constructive element of ethnic boundaries nor an exclusive marker of ethnicity, which confirms Haarmaan's 1986 postulation that language is not a necessary criterion of ethnicity.