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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
May 18, 20165 min read
How do you solve a problem like a Warlord?: Dealing with the historical legacy of Xining's own M
In the last few months, reporters for a number of major newspapers and magazines (most notably Foreign Policy and The New York Times)...
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David R. Stroup
May 10, 20165 min read
Public Space, Chinese Square Dancing (Guangchang Wu, 广场舞), and Identity in Xining
Many of the discussions regarding the political implications and outcomes of urban planning describe the ways in which urban spaces allow...
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David R. Stroup
May 3, 20161 min read
Video: Afternoon Prayer at Xining's Dongguan Grand Mosque
The undisputed heart of Xining's Islamic community is the Dongguan Grand Mosque (东关清真大寺). Located on the south side of Dongguan Avenue...
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David R. Stroup
Apr 28, 20166 min read
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...
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David R. Stroup
Apr 14, 20161 min read
First Look: Xining
We're now officially in the homestretch. I'm here in Xining, my very last case study. I've been in town a few days, and I'm still in the...
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David R. Stroup
Apr 11, 20161 min read
Photo Essay: The Najiahu Mosque
Sometimes there's a lot of material that doesn't find its way into a single blog post, but is too good to just not share. I've been...
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davidrstroup
Apr 4, 20162 min read
Status Check: What have we learned so far? (Part 2)
Now that I've wrapped up the second of my three intensive case studies in Yinchuan, it feels like a good tie to take a second to reflect...
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David R. Stroup
Apr 2, 20165 min read
Yinchuan's Tale of Two Cities: what we mean when we talk about urban renewal (part 3)
The East is Red Plaza is Changing! Wangfujing Plaza is Coming! -An advertisement for a new shopping mall development in Yinchuan's Old...
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David R. Stroup
Mar 25, 20166 min read
"One belt, One Road" and Yinchuan's connection to the greater Middle East
Anyone with at least a passing familiarity with International Relations (or who pays attention to global affairs even the littlest bit)...
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David R. Stroup
Mar 24, 20164 min read
"One small market can represent the whole of global society": the politics of marketplaces
Invocations of "the market" in political science tend towards the macro-level. We are all too often want to zoom out to a bird's eye...
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David R. Stroup
Mar 16, 20161 min read
Back in Business
You may have noticed that there have been few posts lately. And you'd be right. It's been since early February that I've been able to...
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David R. Stroup
Feb 3, 201612 min read
A wedding day in the rural Hui Heartland: my visit to Tongxin County
The mini-bus roared down the highway. Somehow, these things have the universal quality of being rickety. The frame of the vehicle, (a...
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David R. Stroup
Jan 30, 20162 min read
Yinchuan's NanGuan Grand Mosque: A closer look
After two weeks here in Yinchuan, the city is starting to make more sense to me. There's a lot to say about this city, and the Hui...
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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 27, 20153 min read
Status Check: What have we learned so far?
As the year comes to a close, and I regroup in Beijing after wrapping up my first case study in Jinan, it seems like it's time for...
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David R. Stroup
Dec 26, 201512 min read
Awkwardness, Fieldwork, and a Visit to the Jinan Women's Mosque: The Challenges of Doing Fieldwo
One of the first things that you learn when doing fieldwork in a foreign country is that nothing you learn in a classroom can adequately...
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David R. Stroup
Dec 23, 20151 min read
A fond farewell to Jinan (济南, 再见!)
It's hard to believe, but, this post comes as my final one from my beloved City of Springs. Yes, after a fun, busy, informative span of...
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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 13, 20151 min read
Remembering Benedict Anderson
This blog sits at an intersection of a lot of different subjects and interests. It's a blog about China. It's a blog about Islam. It's a...
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