| Abstract: | Uygurs in Changde, Hunan distinguish between ethnicity, religion, and customs. As a result, young Uygurs do not practice Islam and they eat pork; some study Islam but still eat pork; and senior Uygur party cadre follow Islamic customs without practicing religious belief. The rising ethnic consciousness in recent years is related to external attention to both the Uygur presence in Changde and their resumption of religious activities. In forming education and other government policies, however, there is an implicit tendency to consider Uygur status as blood-essentialized ethnicity. The reality is that intermarriage with the Hui has become more frequent and the revival of Islamic beliefs depends on Hui support. This paper argues that the existing theoretical framework on Chinese ethnicity is not sufficient to explain and interpret the seeming irony of religious revival coupled with pork eating. |
