Ethnic Group Identification And Religion Identification In Social Transition

Ethnic group identification is becoming a more favorable topic in anthropology and sociology.This thesis investigates the basis, symptom,situation and trend of the ethnic group Identification from historical and current aspects for the three scattered Hui ethnic groups in Shandong province using first-hand materials from field study.It tries to illustrate the historical,social and internal structural reasons why the ethnic group consciousness is recovering and why the ethnic recognition is rising for the scattered Hui under modernization backgournd.The thesis includes seven chapters.Chapter one is the review of the sociological theories and researches in ethnic group recognition,as well as the introduction of the related western social network theories and methodologies.It also explains the key concept in this thesis–ethnic group recognition.In addition,the thesis examines and illustrates the current situation and controversial issues regarding researches in Hui and Islam nationally and internationally.Chapter two is the illustration of the background,targets,methodology and material acquiring. Chapter three and four describes the ethnic group recognition development in two scattered Hui communities of Shandong Province–Hui community in Jinan and Heizhuang of Linqing from historical point of view,and summarizes the common trend in Hui ethnic group recognition,i.e.they both faces the recovery of ethnic group consciousness and increase in ethnic group recognition.Chapter five describes marginal Hui case which is totally different from the two cases above in the trend of ethnic group recognition and compares the internal structure of this group with Hui community in Jinan and Heizhuang of Linqing from synchronizing point of view in order to find the structural reason of the ethnic group recognition development of this special case.Chapter six and seven analyses the historical,social and internal structural reasons why the situation and trend that scattered Hui has more recognition are developed, i.e. the explanation to this phenomenon.The thesis also discusses the relationship between modernization and ethnic group recognition and ethnic group relation, and expresses a new point view regarding the relationship. Based on the above analysis,the thesis defines the concept of ethnic group interrelation,and points out that ethnic group interrelation is a controlling category in understanding current Chinese ethnic groups.The last part is conclusion.This thesis focuses on the Huis in east part of China,which are scattered Hui communities.Because they are different in many aspects of ethnic group from the gathered Huis in west part of China, the conclusion is not applicable to western Huis, and is not representing the whole Hui ethnic group.The thesis only considers the scattered Huis.