Thanks to David Cowhig for sending the following into CDT:

Prof. Arienne Dwyer of the University of Kansas just sent me The Xinjiang Conflict: Uighur Identity, Language, Policy and Political Discourse. The book does get into the linguistic weeds a bit, but is worth skimming for those who follow developments in China’s Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. Dwyer compares language policy in Xinjiang with the central Asian countries to Xinjiang’s west; the choice Uighur parents face in choosing Chinese vs. Uighur language schooling for their children; and outlines the increasing assimilationist bent of Chinese minorities policy since the middle 1980s.

The full text of the book is available here. Other policy studies from the East West Center Washington are listed here. Several other recent studies are on Xinjiang and Tibet. A capsule summary follows:

Issue 15 The Xinjiang Conflict: Uyghur Identity, Language Policy, and

Political Discourse by Arienne M. Dwyer

This study explores Chinese language policy and language use in Inner

Asia, as well as the relation of language policy to the politics of

Uyghur identity. Language is central to ethnic identity, and official

language policies are often overlooked as critical factors in conflict

over ethnic nationalism. In Chinese Inner Asia, any solution to ethnic

conflict will include real linguistic and cultural autonomy for major

ethnic groups. This study argues that both Beijing and Washington are

about to lose crucial political opportunities in the Xinjiang Uyghur

Autonomous Region in China, and the author makes recommendations as to policy adjustments that should be made by China and the U.S.

Issue 11 Autonomy in Xinjiang: Han Nationalist Imperatives and Uyghur

Discontent by Gardner Bovingdon

This study analyzes the sources of conflict in the Xinjiang Uyghur

Autonomous Region since the founding of the People’s Republic of China

in 1949. It considers the international influences, militant Islam, and

enduring ethnonational hatreds, all identified by some observers as

causes of unrest. The study argues that the system of regional autonomy

itself, while billed as a solution to the region’s political problems,

has instead provoked discontent and violence. The analysis and the

conclusions should be of interest to policymakers and analysts concerned

with the conflict in Xinjiang, the other autonomous regions in China,

and autonomous regimes elsewhere in the world.

Issue 6 Violent Separatism in Xinjiang: A Critical Assessment by James Millward

This study surveys the evidence for organized, violent separatist resistance to Chinese rule in Xinjiang, a region located in the

northwestern corner of the People’s Republic of China. On the basis of a

critical analysis of international press reports and PRC government

materials, the study concludes that while ethnic tensions in Xinjiang

are indeed serious, the sense of imminent crisis commonly conveyed by

these reports is exaggerated.