Down a narrow road: identity and masculinity in a Uyghur community in Xinjiang China

Dautcher, Jay

Book

Down a narrow road: identity and masculinity in a Uyghur community in Xinjiang China

Harvard University Asia Center • Cambridge, Mass. • Published In 2009 • Pages: xvi, 349

By: Dautcher, Jay.

Abstract
This is a "thick description" of Uyghur gender and identity formation that emerges from the local customs and practices of daily living in a suburban neighborhood. The author examines household and neighborhood dynamics, and life cycle events (e.g. childrearing, child play, courtship, weddings, and married life), followed by an examination of the informal institution of drinking parties that occur several times a week in private homes or in the private dining rooms of local restaurants. Drinking parties are sites for masculine displays of verbal skill and wit, and of drinking prowess. Nicknames are also considered, as they are important as individual and collective identity markers. "A man without a nickname is not a man," according to one saying. The role of identity in the marketplace, including Uyghur-Han relations, is also discussed. Lastly, the author examines religious practices, including male congregational gatherings, that provide an alternative path for establishing male identity and status.

Settlement patterns

Gift giving

External trade

Leisure time activities

Visiting and hospitality

Prayers and sacrifices

Asceticism

Congregations