Ethnic Minority Issues in Yunnan

by Sam Mitchell (Editor)

Ethnic Minority Issues in Yunnan includes papers that highlight issues related to minzu, Yunnan Province's ethnic minority groups. These papers, as diverse as the peoples themselves, discuss topics that include education systems and new models for schools in the minority areas, the loss of raditional cultures, Dongba shamanism among the Naxi, preservation and policy in Lijiang, Naxi women and the economy, tourism among the Mosuo, impacts on the traditional life of the Jinuo people of Xishuangbanna by the creation of forest reserves, Dai Identity, a study of China's new village election system, the search for a Hmong ancestral home and traditional folk tales by a recently returned Hmong (Miao) refugee and short studies of the Yi, the Zhuang, the Tibetans, as well as the very notion of cultural identity.

These papers teach us not only about the various ethnic groups studied, but address the changes occuring in their lives today in an ever modernizing and increasingly interconnected world. Insightful and engaging,these papers provide an excellent introduction to the ethnic richness of Yunnan, and may spur others to examine or pursue further or more detailed topics in the rapidly changing human landscape in Yunnan Province of China. This volume, a project of the School for International Training's China/Yunnan program, examines critically the role of identity formation in Yunnan as well as in our own lives.

385 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Ocean G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely fascinating, although much of it is probably hopelessly out of date by now. I admit I am now fascinated by the Musuo people, but all of the studies of different people were interesting in their own way, although some were quite obviously written by students.
Still, in my next lifetime I want to take some time during my studies to live in a village in Yunnan getting to know the local people.

[Emily O. · Rating 4 out of 5]

slightly outdated, because these issues are changing so rapidly, but was nonetheless helpful