Politics & Religion Online: Uyghur Diaspora

Identity Construction

On Facebook

Rizwangul Nur-Muhammad (Unitec NZ)

Giles Dodson (Unitec NZ)

Evangelia Papoutsaki (Unitec NZ)

Heather Horst (RMIT)

ICA REGIONAL CONFERENCE 2014 BRISBANE, 1-3 OCTOBER

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATIONS, SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT AND THE ASIAN CENTURY

Turkic origin ethic minority, accepted Islam in mid 10th Century

Homeland – Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). Incorporated into Chinese state in 1949; history of both independence from & control by China

Ethnic assimilation: Chinese policy to assimilate Uyghurs into Han Chinese majority through ongoing Han immigration- between 1949-2008 increased from 6.7% to 40%

Political repression: Uyghurs have been treated with suspicion of ‘Three Forces’: separatism, religious extremism, and international terrorism

Widespread Uyghur discontent – increasing internal social & political unrest Fig. 1 Xinjiang Uyghur

Autonomous Region (XUAR), CHINA

WHO ARE THE UYGHURS ?

UYGHUR DIASPORA

Countries Population Countries Population

Central Asia 1,500,000 Germany 1,500

Turkey 40-50,000 Japan 1,500

Australia 7,000 Mongolia 1,000

Canada 5,000 France 500

Middle East 3,000 Taiwan 200

Scandinavia 2,000 UK 100

USA 2,000 Switzerland 30

Significant outward migration & diaspora since early 19th century

Previous research findings show Uyghur diaspora identity is ‘under construction’

Internet use is contributing to an emergent Uyghur diaspora identity

Exploring how the Uyghur diaspora identity is being constructed on Facebook.

OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH

Exploratory research

a presentation of preliminary, empirical

findings of the Uyghur diaspora and

their usage of Facebook with a focus

on Uyghur diaspora identity construction Examined emerging trends in identity

construction of diaspora Uyghurs as observed in Everyday Online Communication

Quantitative & Qualitative Content

Analysis of the user-generated Messages which are reflections of identities (Goffman, 1984; Hecht,1993; Hine, 2000)

Stage One quantitative content analysis Mapping : - Identified Facebook sites - Generated typology - Chose small number of samples.

Stage Two qualitative content analysis Interpretation of messages from

Facebook discussion archives- Identified emerged themes- Developed codes based on different

dimensions of identity.

Chosen Facebook Groups Generalist, Open for public Frequently updated everyday communication .

Empirical Findings

Express concerns on religious suppression

Express reliance on religion for maintaining ethnicity

Promoting Islamic knowledge

Use Islamic terminology – indicating nascent religious identity, not yet solidified

RELIGION WITHIN EVERYDAY COMMUNICATION ON FACEBOOK

“Kongzi had grow beard, why Uyghurs cannot?” The word “ 禁” means prohibited. Kongzi, also called KongFuzi: Confucius, (551–479 BC)

Characteristics of Uyghur Diaspora Religious Identity

Emerging, Under construction, Homeland orientated

Ascribed or Chosen Identity

Discontent with religious prohibitions

With strong ethnic links

RELIGION WITHIN EVERYDAY COMMUNICATION ON FACEBOOK

Empirical Findings

Mainly sharing political information about issues at homeland

Express discontent against the political regime

Fragmented political views and sentiments

Anxiety expressed over Chinese repression (self-censorship)

POLITICS WITHIN EVERYDAY COMMUNICATION ON FACEBOOK

Limitations & political fragmentation

– fear of expressing political identity

Raise the flag or not!

Do not: “Uyghurs will not want to take a photo with this flag on it, so let’s not set up the flag and do not make this social activity political”

Do: “we have to have clear goal towards the freedom of our mother land, the Uyghurs who do not want the flag can miss this picnic, and they are not welcomed”

Middle way: “do not set up the flag earlier so that Uyghurs are not to be frightened to join the picnic. Set it up when everyone arrived, so that the ones who are afraid of the flag cannot escape”

POLITICS WITHIN EVERYDAY COMMUNICATION ON FACEBOOK

Characteristics of Uyghur Diaspora Political Identity

Emerging, under construction, homeland orientated

Existing within political limitations

Weak alignment between political activists and general diaspora members

Political identity strongly focused on preservation of ethnicity/culture

POLITICS WITHIN EVERYDAY COMMUNICATION ON FACEBOOK

POLITICS AND RELIGION WITHIN EVERYDAY DISCOURSE ONLINE

Political Identity: Emerging political consciousness and identity No strong political participation No political mobilization

Religious identity: Much related to discontent with political restrictions imposed on

homeland Uyghurs by the Chinese government Religious identity closely connected with ethnic and cultural

preservation Rather than a highly politicised pan-Islamism, frequently caricatured in

both Western and Chinese media

Religious, political identities are subsumed beneath the ethnic identity

Everyday Facebook communication reveals the Uyghur diaspora identity has an emerging character strongly connected to ethnic and cultural preservation

The extent to which Facebook facilitates a strong diaspora identity construction is uncertain.

CONCLUSION

National Identity

Ethnic Identity

Political Identity

Religious Identity

Cultural Identity

Thank You for

Your Attention!Any Questions?

Presented by Giles Dodson and Rizwangul

This presentation is based on a research

“Identity Construction Online:

The use of Facebook by the Uyghur diaspora”

Uighur Language School in South AustraliaLike This Page · May 29 Like · · Share 40 people like this. 25 shares

ON FACEBOOK