Nationality Research in the People's Republic of China: A Trip Report

摘要

This note reports on a trip to the People's Repubic of China (PRC) by the author in June and July 1980. In the PRC, the study of internal and external nationality issues only recently has emerged from the anti-academic cloud of the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. Chinese nationality research suffers from severe shortages of research materials and from the absence of a 'middle generation' of specialists. From personal observations in Urumqi and Turfan, the author suggests that Islam survived, if in fact it was not strengthened by, the anti-religious and anti-Western campaigns of the Cultural Revolution. The author concludes that the area of nationality research, especially research on the Soviet nationality issue, is potentially a productive one for Sino-American cooperation. (Author)