article

Consuming identities: Food and resistance amoung Uyghur in contemporary Xinjiang

Inner Asia2 (2) • Published In 2000 • Pages: 225-238

By: Cesaro, M. Christina.

Abstract
This article is about how food and eating in Ürümqi is an identity marker for maintaining ethnic boundaries, especially between Uyghurs and Han Chinese. Following Muslim custom, Uyghurs only eat food that is “clean” or halal (for which Uyghurs use the Chinese word qingzhen). According to Islamic law, some food is forbidden, while other foods have to be prepared in a certain way. Chinese food is considered "unclean" and Uyghurs "don't eat Chinese." However, the same restrictions do not apply to either Western food or Chinese food served in Western restaurants. The author interprets this as a form of resistance to Han Chinese hegemony, and suggests that such ambiguity around food reflects the ambiguity of ethnic relations in the bustling capital city of Xinjiang.
Subjects
Diet
Food service industries
Inter-ethnic relations
Avoidance and taboo
culture
Uyghur
HRAF PubDate
2023
Region
Asia
Sub Region
Central Asia
Document Type
article
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Ian Skoggard; 2014
Field Date
1996-1997
Coverage Date
1996-1997
Coverage Place
Ürümqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China
Notes
M. Christina Cesaro
Includes bibliographical references (p. 236-237)
LCCN
sn 99033632
LCSH
Uighur (Turkic people)