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China at the Crossroads:
BLOGGING ABOUT HUI CULTURE, IDENTITY, AND DAILY LIFE IN URBAN CHINA
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David R. Stroup
Jan 21, 20167 min read
In Praise of La Mian (拉面, hand-stretched noodles)
Regular readers of this blog will note that "the sociology of food and culture" is one of my favorite, and most repeatedly discussed...
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David R. Stroup
Jan 15, 20161 min read
First Look: Yinchuan
Greetings from the city of Yinchuan! After a refreshing few weeks of holiday in Beijing, I'm on the move, yet again. To refresh your...
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David R. Stroup
Dec 20, 201515 min read
Two views of a wedding in a suburban Hui village
Friday morning, the 18th of December, 2015. 6AM: Groping around in the darkness of the room, the cell phone was hard to find. At this...
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David R. Stroup
Dec 9, 20154 min read
Faith, faithlessness and intra-group boundaries in Jinan's Hui community
One of the most commonly repeated truisms about China's Hui community is that they are a group distinguished from the majority Han almost...
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David R. Stroup
Dec 3, 20158 min read
Urban migration and regional identity in Jinan's Hui community
A common theme on this blog is the diversity of China's Hui community. As I've noted before, Hui communities exist in nearly every major...
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David R. Stroup
Nov 22, 20151 min read
Jinan's 720 year old Great Southern Mosque: A Photographic Introduction
Traditionally, Hui communities surround a community mosque. Historically speaking, this makes sense. The Hui's ancestors came to China as...
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David R. Stroup
Nov 20, 20157 min read
Epistemic Deference and Hui Identity: The Challenges of Doing Fieldwork in China
Going out to do fieldwork seems like embarking on some grand adventure. I like to joke that doing comparative politics research sometimes...
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David R. Stroup
Nov 15, 20155 min read
Women's mosques and female leadership in Jinan's Hui community
At first glance, the buliding isn't much to look at. Like many mosques built in the last 25 years in China, the white tile and green...
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David R. Stroup
Nov 10, 201510 min read
A visit to Jinan's urban countryside
As the cab driver slowed down, and pulled over to the side of the one-lane road, I understood immediately what was going on. We were...
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David R. Stroup
Oct 28, 20156 min read
Building a More "文明" (civilized) and "卫生"(hygienic) Jinan: sanitation and public
A few weeks ago, I wrote about a number of public service advertisements that I had been seeing in and around Jinan's Hui Quarter. As a...
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David R. Stroup
Sep 24, 20157 min read
Eid al-Adha (古尔邦节) on Beijing's Niu Jie
Holidays are often a high-water mark for community spirit and feelings of belonging to the group. Which makes sense. These days are set...
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David R. Stroup
Sep 20, 20154 min read
Representing the Hui in public images: A photo essay
I often discuss the way that the Hui and other groups are represented in public displays. It's something I see a lot of here, and though...
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David R. Stroup
Sep 13, 20156 min read
The Curious Case of YangRou Chuan'r and Hui ethnic identity
On warm evenings throughout China, stroll through almost any urban neighborhood, and you'll catch the smell of charcoal fires and roasted...
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David R. Stroup
Sep 4, 201511 min read
Lost History, Forgotten Tombstones, and the Decline of a Hui Cemetery: Beijing's Huimin Gongmu (
The road to Beijing's Northwestern Hui Cemetery (Huimin Gongmu, 回民公墓) winds away from the main boulevard and the bus stop which bears its...
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David R. Stroup
Aug 30, 20155 min read
Chai Qian (拆迁) and China: What we mean when we say "urban renewal"
Spend any time in urban China, and you'll see it: the blinding speed with which urban landscapes change. Leave a city for a year, and...
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David R. Stroup
Aug 26, 20157 min read
My Afternoon at the Chinese Nationalities Museum
Scholarship on nationalism tends to focus on the dramatic. Nationalists start uprisings. Nationalists push politics to the brink....
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David R. Stroup
Aug 24, 20151 min read
Photo Essay: Jumu'ah (Friday Prayer) at the Niu Jie Mosque
A little bit on the lighter side with today's entry. This Friday I was able to observe the Jumu'ah (weekly Friday prayers) at Beijing's...
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David R. Stroup
Aug 23, 20157 min read
What is 清真, anyway?: On eating a "pure and true" diet
Recently, I talked about the subtle, yet profound, differences that distinguish Hui and Han ethnicities. I also talked a lot about how...
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David R. Stroup
Aug 18, 20152 min read
On Hui pop music and performing the nation.
I've written before on this blog about how China's minorities are occasionally portrayed as essentialized caricatures. Often this means...
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David R. Stroup
Aug 16, 20159 min read
Islam, In-betweeness, and the Hui as "Familiar Strangers"
The small souvenir shop (labeled the “Muslim Commodity Service Shop” or 穆斯林用品服务部) just inside the front gate of the Niujie Mosque in...
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