Rebellion south of the clouds: Ethnic insurgency, Muslim Yunnanese, and the Panthay Rebellion (China)

This dissertation examines the seventeen-year long Panthay Rebellion, 1856–1873, and the events which preceded it in the southwestern province of Yunnan. Through a consideration of the complex interplay of ethnicity, violence and governance I argue that the rebellion was provoked largely by an escalation in anti-Hui violence perpetrated by Han Chinese rather than an inherent desire by the Muslim Yunnanese to rebel. Because of the prominent role that the Muslim Yunnanese played in the Panthay Rebellion, most studies have ignored the role of the Han and other ethnic groups involved in the earlier violence which had been occurring since the early part of the nineteenth century.; The examination takes up the complex physical, ethnic and political context of the province as well as highlighting the subtle forms in which Islam had manifested itself in Yunnan. Early chapters highlight the variety of violent incidents which were typical in both their ethnic diversity and the balanced government's response. Chapter 4 then traces the sudden rise in anti-Hui attacks and the growing support of the government of these attacks culminating in the Kunming massacre of 1856. Chapters 5 and 6 conclude by delineating the complex paths that the rebellion took with specific attention to the divisions among the Muslim Yunnanese. By challenging the traditional interpretations and long standing assumptions of this rebellion, this study presents a more Yunnanese perspective on the local politics, multi-ethnic dimensions, and internal dynamics of the Muslim Yunnanese.