Ildikó Bellér-Hann

Community matters in Xinjiang 1880-1949 : towards a historical anthropology of the Uyghur

Drawing on a wide range of historical sources presenting both emic and etic views, this book offers an insight into aspects of social life among the Uyghur in pre-socialist Xinjiang and substantiates the concept of tradition which modern Uyghurs draw upon to construct their ethnic identity.

Feudal villains or just rulers? The contestation of historical narratives in eastern Xinjiang

Focusing on representations of the Muslim dynasty that exercised power locally under the Qing dynasty until 1930 in the oasis of Qumul in eastern Xinjiang, this article challenges the binary notions of ‘official’ versus ‘unofficial’ discourse by looking at the production of historical knowledge on the ground. Versions of local histories are communicated both in censored publications and in informally transmitted oral narratives, which are not independent realms but in constant dialogue with each other. Produced at the interface of the oral and the written, these representations are laden with contradictions and ambiguities, portraying the Muslim dynasty sometimes as feudal exploiters, at other times as models of good governance. It will be shown how historical knowledge is produced at the junctures of the oral and the written, and of official and unofficial discourses.

Chronicling the Turfan expeditions: the German archaeologist Albert von Le Coq in Xinjiang

Albert von Le Coqs archaeological exploits are well known from Peter Hopkirks book Foreign Devils on the Silk Road. His name is not unknown among local people in Xinjiang (both Han Chinese and Uyghur) as one of those Europeans who “plundered” the regions heritage. One of a handful of like-minded and determined scholars who took part in the international race to appropriate the ancient treasures of this region, Le Coqs interests went beyond pre-Islamic archaeology and art history. He displayed more curiosity in contemporary society and culture than most other traveller-scholars of his time. His non-archaeological publications reveal his keen interest in the ethnography of the Turkic-speaking Muslim population, and his popular writings combine highly specialised information about the cultural and material history of the region with entertaining episodes from his personal adventures. Using diverse theoretical frameworks such as those advanced by Mary Louise Pratt, Jürgen Osterhammel and others, this paper scrutinises Le Coqs output as a travel writer. It considers to what extent his travel and ethnographic publications fit contemporary paradigms of imperial travel writing, while drawing attention to those features which mark them out as unique.