‘Ethnic extinction’ in northwest China
State policies in education are forcing Uyghur children to grow up in non-Muslim, Mandarin-speaking environments. Uyghur culture is being lost as a result.
Darren Byler
Darren Byler is an Assistant Professor of International Studies at Simon Fraser University, where his teaching and research focus is on the technology and politics of urban life in Northwest China and Southeast Asia. His writing has appeared in Logic, Guardian, and ChinaFile, among other publications.
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The Reciter: A Uyghur family’s pride — and downfall
Nurali, after memorizing the Quran, brought immense pride to his family. But back home in Xinjiang, his mother, who financed his studies, was accused of abetting "terrorism," and sentenced to 16.5 years in prison.
‘Truth and reconciliation’: Excerpts from the Xinjiang Clubhouse
For 16 hours, people in a Clubhouse room called “Is there a concentration camp in Xinjiang?” spoke freely, centering the discussion on those most harmed by state violence. Even while it was happening, the conversation felt historic — and worth preserving.
‘Only when you, your children, and your grandchildren become Chinese’: Life after Xinjiang detainment
“They said there was a document sent from above, from the administrative center, and that they were acting based on that document. They said no one can change the document since it was sent from the Central Committee. They said that the current system would not change until all Muslim nationalities would be extinct.”
Three years of silence: Rahile Dawut named honorary professor
Dawut disappeared in December 2017 after being detained by state authorities as she planned to travel to Beijing for a conference. She has not been publicly charged with a crime.
‘The atmosphere has become abnormal’: Han Chinese views from Xinjiang
Around 9.5 million Han Chinese live in Xinjiang, making up about 40% of the region's population. How do they view Beijing's policies of surveillance and Uyghur reeducation?
Uyghur ‘caretaking’ and the isolation of reeducation
In Uyghur society, lending money is more than capital exchange, it's part of a practice that social theorist AbdouMaliq Simone refers to as “taking care.” In Xinjiang, as China's "People's War on Terror" accelerated, money transfers across international boundaries were seen as a possible sign of extremism — just another way that Uyghurs were cut off from their support networks and isolated from one another.
The ‘bright future’ of Chinese life in Xinjiang
Life in the big city can be hard for Chinese migrant workers, but in Urumqi, economic incentives give them more opportunities than they'd get elsewhere. Provided that they are ethnically Han, that is.
The imprisonment of the ‘model villagers’: Two Uyghur sisters on what it means to lose their family and way of life
For the family of sisters Nursiman and Nur’iman, a local work brigade placed a small red plaque with five stars on it to the front gate of their house. The stars stood for “patriotism, honesty, education, hygiene, and harmony.” But in the end, that didn't stop the sisters' parents and brother from being sent to jail for reasons that remain murky to this day.
‘Uyghurs are so bad’: Chinese dinner table politics in Xinjiang
There was a time, not too long ago, when friendship was possible between the Han Chinese of Xinjiang and their Uyghur neighbors. But where there once was camaraderie, now there is suspicion, fear, and empty slogans.