Cultural Dynamics of Ethnic Boundaries-a case of minority peoples in Chinese West

本研究的主要目的是(1)民族边界文化动态的理论研究，(2)中国西部少数民族文化动态的实证研究和民族志研究，(3)对中国民族关系的现实认识，(4)注重维护民族传统文化的家庭教育的初步跨文化研究，以及(5)社会经济变迁中的民族关系研究。在上述(1)和(2)项中，文化动态是指中国笔下民族关系的现实，重点是新发展的中华主义思想。我们发现，由56个中国民族组成的中华观已经成为中国民族主义的向心力。另一方面，一些少数民族倾向于保持他们的传统民族文化，这似乎具有相反的离心力。关于第(3)项，我们集中在新疆西部锡伯族村庄进行田野调查，发现这个少数民族似乎正在被主导的汉族文化吸收的过程中。在研究第(4)项时，我们感到很难在共产党官员的“看守”下从私人家中获得数据。然而，这种类型的研究还有待继续。最后，第(5)项是当代中国最具挑战性的任务。我们把重点放在了少数民族的汉语言(普通话)教育上。政府更加强调语言的中心化。这不一定是强制的国家政策，但在社会经济变革的过程中，某些少数民族的文化似乎已经被同化为占主导地位的汉族文化，就像今天倾向于更多地与汉族通婚的锡伯族一样。

The main purposes of this study are (1) a theoretical study I the cultural dynamics of ethnic boundaries, (2) an empirical and ethnographic study of cultural dynamics among Chinese western minority groups, (3) a realistic understanding of Chinese ethnic relations, (4) a preliminary cross-cultural study on family education that puts stress on the maintenance of traditional ethnic culture, and (5) a study on ethnic relations in the socio-economic change.In the items (1) and (2) above, the cultural dynamics means the reality of ethnic relations in China focusing on the newly developed concept of Zhonghua ideology. We have found that the Zhonghua concept which comprises 56 Chinese ethnic groups has come out as a centripetal force of the Chinese nationalism. On the other hand, some minority groups tend to maintain their traditional ethnic culture which seems to have an opposite centrifugal forces. Concerning the item (3), we concentrated on the field work at the Xibe villages in western Xinjiang and found that this small minority group seems to have been in the process of being absorbed into the dominant Han culture. In the study of item (4), we felt a difficulty of getting data from the private homes under "the guard" of the communist officials. However, this type of study is to be continued. Finally, the item (5) is the most challenging task in contemporary China. We focused our attention on the education of Han language (the standard language) among the minority groups. The government puts more stress on the centralization of the language. This is not necessarily the forced national policy but in the process of socio-economic change, culture of certain minority groups seems to have been assimilated into the dominant Han culture as the case of the Xibe that tends to intermarry more with the Han today.