Forging a sense of community for the Chinese nation: Contextualizing ethnic education in China in the “New Era”

• In Event: Education for Ethnic, National and Global Identities in China

Proposal

The "New Era" is a political concept that has been promoted by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Since his rise to power in 2012, Xi has promoted a new ideology called "Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era." The concept is based on the idea that China is entering a new stage of development, one in which China needs to return to its socialist roots, and it will become a global leader in all areas. This ideology has been used to justify a number of Xi's policies, including those concerning ethnic affairs that culminate with the policy of “forging a sense of community for the Chinese nation.”
In this paper, I attempt to contextualize ethnic education, mostly in K-12 schools in contemporary China, in relation to the recent development of the new policy of "forging a sense of community for the Chinese nation." I first review the main approaches to ethnic education in China during the "reform and opening" era ushered in by Deng Xiaoping. This period is characterized by the gradual increase in the influence of the school of thought known as "multicultural education" on ethnic education in China. While many scholars made significant efforts to introduce this thought into China, others began localizing the theory based on their observations of educational practices in the country. In practice, the multicultural education approach has had a substantial impact on “unity and progressive education” in ethnic minority regions in China. Despite the growing influence of the "multicultural education" approach in China, the tension between "diversity" and "integration" continues to be a major issue of debate in ethnic education.
In recognition of the above historical development, it is argued that the latest policy of "forging a sense of community for the Chinese nation" represents a new approach that diverges from the multicultural education of past decades, which emphasized "diversity." Instead, the new approach stresses the importance of integration in ethnic education, surpassing even the goals of unity education. Moreover, this education approach aimed at "forging a sense of community for the Chinese nation" extends beyond the scope of ethnic education; it seeks to consolidate a strong national identity encompassing all social groups within the country.
Finally, the article intends to demonstrate that the latest approach of "forging a sense of community for the Chinese nation" in current Chinese education could be viewed as a response to a global identity crisis associated with recent developments in de/globalization, migration, and geopolitical power shifts. As a result, there is a pressing need to understand how this approach will shape ethnic education in China and comprehend the potential consequences of educational practices contextualized by the policy for various ethnic minority groups.

Author

• Liang Du, Beijing Normal University