Manchu Rule of China: Exploring the Relationship between the State and Ethnicity

• In Event: 594 - Section on Political Sociology Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 12. Ethnicity and Nationalism

Abstract

This paper examines the influence of state action on Manchu-Han relations in Qing China (1644-1911) by addressing three specific questions. The first is the genesis of the Manchus as an ethnic group. The formation of the Manchus was concomitant with the rise of the Later Jin (the precursor of the Qing) between the 1580s and the 1630s in Manchuria. The Later Jin created the Manchu ethnic group through a series of policy and action. The second question concerns Qing policies pertaining to preserving Manchu identity in relation to the Han Chinese after the Qing conquered China proper in 1644. Two types of polices existed. One gave Manchus privileges in military, political, legal, and economic fields at the expense of the Han, and the other type of policies sanctioned ethnic segregation in the social field, including residential segregation, a ban on intermarriage, and adoption across the ethnic line. These policies resulted in ethnic inequality. Finally, this paper seeks to shed light on theories about the relationship between states and ethnic groups.

Author

• Wei Li, Frostburg State University