| This thesis will examine the link between the degree to which government policies adopted by the central authorities of the PRC to promote the integration of its national minorities are applied and the number of demands made by the various Chinese ethnic groups for the right of self-determination. A review of Chinese policies on national minorities and how the State implements them will be conducted. The analysis of this link will provide a better understanding of the ethnic politics of the PRC. This thesis is divided into two main sections: a theoretical framework and a case study. The theoretical framework presents the material that will be used for the analysis. The topics addressed are the right of self-determination and the way in which it is interpreted by the Chinese authorities, Chinese national unity and the national politics of integration, and minzu management. The case study focuses on three Chinese national ethnic groups: the Uigurs, the Mongols and the Miao. These three ethnic groups will be compared based on knowledge acquired in the theoretical framework. This thesis will conclude by stressing the discrepancy in the way in which the right is perceived in China and the importance of modernizing Chinese legislation on national minorities so that it reflects the reality of a China that is in the midst of major economic and social transformation.;Key words: Governmental centralisation, right of self-determination , national minorities, politics of integration, People's Republic of China, ethnic demand, national unity. |
