Battles for Ideological Supremacy in Western China
“Men think dealing with the outside world is their domain. Women’s responsibility is household tasks - if men did chores, they would become a laughing stock”, explained a housewife in Ürümqi. Her words capture a world on the brink of transformation - one where religious ideals would soon be crushed by unprecedented totalitarianism.
Throughout their history, the Uyghurs have experienced wave after wave of conquest, with each new power seeking not just territorial dominance but ideological domination. From Buddhist temples to Islamic courts, from imperial bureaucracies to Communist re-education, rulers have always understood that controlling beliefs was as crucial as controlling territory.
Drawing on 900 surveys and 230 interviews from 2005-2008, Xiaowei Zang provides crucial insights into gender relations in Xinjiang's Muslim communities. This research also serves as a crucial historical document, capturing the last moments of relative cultural autonomy before Beijing stepped up its campaign of religious repression. While empires have always tried to reshape conquered peoples, China's current campaign represents something new in human history - a system of control operating with unprecedented scale.
