Research on the Formation of Xinjiang and the Uyghur National=Ethnic Problems

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K12500
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 80010:Area studies-related
• Research Institution: Shizuoka University
• Principal Investigator: Akira Ohno 静岡大学, 人文社会科学部, 教授 (40278651)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: ウイグル / 新疆 / ジェノサイド / 中央アジア / ウズベキスタン / カザフスタン / 民族問題 / 区域自治

Outline of Final Research Achievements

When and how did the part of the Central Asian region of East Turkestan come to be called "Xinjiang"? What National=ethnic problems arose with the emergence of Xinjiang, meaning "new territory"? This study was conducted from the perspective of historical Anthropology in an attempt to answer these questions. It was during the Manchu Qing Dynasty that East Turkestan became "Xinjiang", and the Uyghurs enjoyed a high degree of autonomy as subjects of the Qing Dynasty. When the Qing dynasty collapsed, the inhabitants of the region sought to establish an independent state but failed due to international relations. The People's Republic of China denied the rights of the Uyghurs, which intensified the National=ethnic problem. This study elucidates such modern and contemporary history from the perspective of Central Asia.

Free Research Field

歴史人類学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

民族問題は国際問題である。とりわけ隣国の中国で勃発している民族問題はどれも日本と何らかの形で連動している。新疆ウイグル自治区におけるウイグル民族問題は、その典型的な事例である。日本の数多くの企業が新疆と繋がっているだけでなく、文化・歴史の面でも、いわゆるシルクロードを通して新疆と関連性を有している。新疆の民族問題に関する本研究は、日本が国際社会で建設的な役割を果たすのに有用である。