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China at the Crossroads:
BLOGGING ABOUT HUI CULTURE, IDENTITY, AND DAILY LIFE IN URBAN CHINA
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The Xinjiang model of ethnic politics and the daily practice of ethnicity
The announcement last week that Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region would enter into a cooperative counter-terrorism agreement with Xinjiang...
David R. Stroup
Dec 19, 201810 min read
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Islam and Tourism in China
It's a normal Monday afternoon at the Dongguan mosque in Xining. The busy mosque is at the heart of Xining's Islamic community and...
David R. Stroup
Jun 20, 20168 min read
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Old and New Schools: Islamic sects and ethnic identity in Xining
At first, I wasn't sure I understood the question. I continued to look blankly at the middle-aged woman running the counter at the...
David R. Stroup
Apr 28, 20166 min read
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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...
David R. Stroup
Jan 21, 20167 min read
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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...
David R. Stroup
Dec 20, 201515 min read
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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...
David R. Stroup
Dec 9, 20154 min read
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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...
David R. Stroup
Nov 15, 20155 min read
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A word about studying 'everyday ethnicity'
As regular readers of this blog (hope that I haven't scared all of you off!) may have already noted, much of what I'm writing about, and...
David R. Stroup
Nov 4, 20155 min read
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Arabic and Identity in urban Hui communities
Walking through Jinan this week in the Hui Quarter, I've been distracted by a set of signs. They're official and issued by the local...
David R. Stroup
Oct 13, 20154 min read
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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...
David R. Stroup
Sep 24, 20157 min read
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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...
David R. Stroup
Sep 13, 20156 min read
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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...
David R. Stroup
Sep 4, 201511 min read
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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....
David R. Stroup
Aug 26, 20157 min read
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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...
David R. Stroup
Aug 23, 20157 min read
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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...
David R. Stroup
Aug 16, 20159 min read
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Jinan's Muslim Quarter (回民区HuiMinQu) in photos
I'm leaving Jinan today, so I'll be on the road again. Instead of a full post, I thought I'd share some photos of Jinan's Muslim Quarter,...
David R. Stroup
Aug 4, 20151 min read
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Mosques and Markets in Shanghai's Islamic Community
As I've noted before, Shanghai is an international city, and so it's home to all kinds of communities. Shanghai's Muslim community,...
David R. Stroup
Aug 4, 20153 min read
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Nanjing's Hui community: visibility and invisibility in the Han-majority heartland
The misty drizzle of a mid-July afternoon settled into a slightly more steady, spitting rain, making the air feel thick, sticky and...
David R. Stroup
Jul 23, 201510 min read
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