10tonfunk LITE

Bits and pieces from the different talks that stuck out to me. Any misinformation is on me, not the people I attribute it to.

Grace Cheng:
- Nationalism is state function that puts interests of state over individuals or ethnic groups.
- The idea of unified Chinese identity does not exist among the Han. Today’s “resurgence” of ethnic identity may be drawing upon the conception of theearly 19th century identity. In contrast to Habermas’ conception of cosmopolitanism, globalization has exacerbated this.
- The PRC is having mixed success at creating nationalist identity. Problems with exclusionary identities and deterritorized ethnic conscience.
- Tensions (in West) highest between socially displaced Uighurs and physically displaced Han.
- Not just China, hybridity struggling in liberal states as well. Angela Merkel:  “multiculturalism has failed.”
Li Dan: Speaking about the Hanization of Manchuria
- Manchurians are China’s 2nd largest minority group.
- 12 autonomous areas, but very in may ways similar to Han.
- Of 10 million Manchu, less than 100 in 2000 speak Manchu.
- Government claims minorities losing their culture because they’re not as advanced. They say this because the gov’t doesn’t take responsibility for protecting minority culture.
- From Ma Rong (Beida): If we force them not to speak their own languages they will resist, but we can use economic means to persuade them.
- The PRC gov’t claims Manchurian was given up 300 years ago, but it actually used in official documents until the end of the Qing Dynasty (1911).
- Sun Yat-sen called the Manchus invaders. In response, a lot of Manchus changed their names.
- Discrimination still exists, Manchu Prof Yan Chongyan was slapped in 2008. In 1970s movies from Hong Kong, the Chinese gov’t are portrayed as Manchus.
- Lao She was Manchu but changed his name.
- Very difficult to promote Manchu language training.
- Han immigration to Manchu areas has grown rapidly.
 1840: 3 mil Han, 1910: 18 mil,  2000: 100 mil
  Took of in 1910 when the Nationalist gov’t pushed for assimilation.
- Teaching of Manchu in schools was prohibited.
- In ‘57, Zhou Enlai in 57 told Manchurians their language wasn’t worth learning:  Mandarin incorporates Manchu words, why take the trouble.
- Manchus stereotyped as ‘lazy and competent,’ responsible for the decline of Qing. - Little effort to protect Manchu culture. No bilingual initiatives. Signs in Autonomous regions signs are completely Han. Bilingual is considered English and
Mandarin. A few orgs are trying to protect the Manchu language but they have
no money.

Ying Li: Preliminary exploration of the soft power of Confucius
- PRC gov’t using Confucius in attempt to rebrand China.
- Rebranding a big deal among nations now; for investment, tourism. Many countries hire UK firms to do this.
- For both internal and external publics
- Confucius could be face of China’s new brand.
- Confuciius is trotted out when there is confidence (now); reviled other times (Cultural Revolution).
- How does Confucianism deal with ethnic relations?
- The Yi-Xia doctrine (夷夏之辩). Yi are barbarians, Xia the
civilized. 
- Hierarchal views of cultures. Racial/cultural hierarchy negatively
implicated in multiple discourses.
- Han traditionally overtake their enemy’s culture, adopt very little.
- Just built a giant Confucius sculpture in Tiananmen in front of the National Museum. Gov’t building of temples started in 80s. Just came out with the Confucius peace prize.
- Critics worried about the rise of cultural chauvinism.
- In the Yi-xia view, assimilation is a necessity. Often accompanied with beneficial policies to sort of compensate.
- Yi can become Xia if they follow Confucianism.
- Some say Confucianism is beyond ethnicity.
- Gongyang school says hallmark of civilization is moral virtue not ethnicity. So ethnic policy is cultural, not racism.
- Racial hierarchies bear similiraty to Confucian cultural
hierarchies
- Jacques Louis Dumont studied the Indian caste system, produced idea of Homo
Hierarchus: children are enculturated into these hierarchies, culture settings thus justify hierarchy.

Losang Ragbey:
- Was bout to enter college when she first visited Tibet. Her first cousins
were still illiterate.
- Little opportunity for Tibetans to learn, almost no schools teach it.
- Education policy being rolledback.
- Transistor radios are number one wedding gifts.

From the Q&A:
- Talking about what Canada has done with multiculturalism over the last 30
years (integration or lack thereof with Quebec).
- Chinese ethnic policy is taken from the Russians, where ethnicities were
considered nationalities with own zones, etc.
- Guys like Ma Rong are pushing for different, more Western framing of the situation.
- In the 50s, ethnic policy was more progressive.