Dance for development : Uyghur women in the Chinese diaspora creating self-empowerment through dance

Date

2006

Contributor

Advisor

Department

Instructor

Depositor

Speaker

Researcher

Consultant

Interviewer

Narrator

Transcriber

Annotator

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Honolulu: East-West Center

Volume

Number/Issue

Starting Page

Ending Page

Alternative Title

Abstract

Socio-economic development in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) has significantly impacted Uyghur culture. Proponents of the Chinese Western Development initiatives claim improved quality of life and technological advancements, while critics cite that Han in-migration and assimilation has resulted in acculturation of Uyghur identity. As performing arts, especially dance, are essential components of Uyghur culture, Uyghur women employ dance as a reaction to reaffirm cultural identity. Through dance, women send messages of cultural survival, enabling them to negotiate positions of power for themselves. Their negotiation through dance has resulted in a unique form of self-empowerment, cultural revival and pride. This paper analyzes the dialectics of the dance revealed through interviews conducted with Uyghur women in the diaspora. These accounts illustrate Uyghur analysis of development processes while also providing a stage from which they reaffirm their cultural distinctiveness.

Description

For more about the East-West Center, see http://www.eastwestcenter.org/

Keywords

Uighur (Turkir people) - Ethnic identity, Women dancers - China - Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu, Women in development - China - Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu, Folk dancing - China - Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu

Citation

Extent

17 pages

Format

Geographic Location

Time Period

Related To

Related To (URI)

Table of Contents

Rights

Rights Holder

Local Contexts

Email libraryada-l@lists.hawaii.edu if you need this content in ADA-compliant format.