The Study On The Education History Of The Dai In Dehong From The Perspective Of National Identity

In this paper, I will discuss the education history of Dai in Dehong Yunnan province from the perspective of national identity.During the educational development process of Dehong Dai, there have been replacement and coexistence between traditional monastic education, Confucianism education and modern school education. Along with Theravada Buddhism spread in Dehong Dai in Ming Dynasty, monastic education had become the main education in Dehong Dai. Until the establishment of People’s Republic of China, especially after the "Cultural Revolution", monastic education began to decline rapidly. The traditional Confucian education appeared in Dehong Dai region during the Ming Dynasty, but it had small impact on traditional Dai Society. Modern school education emerged in the Republican period, when the modern school education, monastic education and Confucian education coexisted. Modern school education and monastic education played important roles in the education history of the Dai in Dehong. After the establishment of People’s Republic of China, modern school education of Dehong Dai developed rapidly and became the main form of education after1980.Because of the change in education, ethnic identity and national identity in Dehong Dai experienced shift changes. The traditional monastic education is an important way to maintain and consolidate the ethnic identity of Dehong Dai. Confucian education makes the Dehong Dai begin to have national identity for empire. Modern school education excited national identity,eventually becoming key to identity system.In chapter one, through analyzing when Theravada Buddhism spread in Dehong Dai, the social background at that time and the content and functionality of the monastic education, I will discuss the important role of the monastic education played in their national identity of Dehong Dai.In chapter two, I will discuss the educational policy Yuan Ming and Qing dynasty implemented in Dehong Dai region and the development and effect of Confucian Education, pointing out national identity began to emerge during this period.In chapter three, I will discuss the internal and external social environment that Dehong Dai faced in Republican period, analyze the development of modern school education, then summarize that tension exists between ethnic identity and national identity in frontier minority areas.In chapter four, I will discuss the modern education history of Dehong Dai after the founding of People’s Republic of China, pointing out that because of strong and dominant national identity, the modern school education can develop rapidly, but a fracture of their ethnic culture will in turn threaten its national identity.Through analyzing the identity changes of Dehong Dai in their education history, this paper reveals how important education is to national identity of minorities living in frontier. And the educational development of Dehong Dai also reflects the complexity existing in minority education among the unified country.