Ethnicity and Urban Life in China: A Comparative Study of Hui Muslims and Han Chinese

by Zang; Xiaowei

• ISBN13: 9780415421201
• ISBN10: 0415421209
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-05-22
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

This much-needed work on ethnicity in Asia offers a major sociological analysis of Hui Muslims in contemporary China. Using both qualitative and quantitative data derived from fieldwork in Lanzhou between March 2001 and July 2004, it looks at the contrast between the urban life of the Han people, the ethnic majority in the city of Lanzhou, and the Hui people, the largest ethnic minority in the city, and assesses the link between minority ethnicity and traditional behaviour in urban sociology and research on ethnic groups of China. In-depth interviews and survey data provides a fresh perspective to the study of ethnic behaviour in China, and offers a rich account of Hui behaviour in seven aspects of urban life: neighbouring interaction, friendship formation, network behaviour, mate selection methods, spouse choice, marital homogamy, and household structure. Contributing to the global discourse on Islam, religious fundamentalism and modernity, this book will be invaluable toanyone interested in Chinese society, Islam, religion, development, urban studies, anthropology and ethnicity.

Author Biography

Xiaowei Zang is Associate Professor in the Department of Asian and International Studies, City University of Hong Kong.

Table of Contents

List of maps and illustrations	p. viii
List of tables	p. ix
Preface	p. xi
Acknowledgements	p. xv
List of abbreviations	p. xvii
New wine, old bottle	p. 1
Minority ethnicity and traditionally	p. 2
Status attainment and behavioral modernity	p. 4
Lanzhou	p. 6
Data and variables	p. 13
The 2001 Lanzhou Survey	p. 13
In-depth interviews and field observations	p. 16
Variables	p. 18
Inter-group variation in social status	p. 19
Intra-group variation in social status	p. 21
Organization of the book	p. 23
Neighbors united, neighbors divided	p. 24
Who are "neighbors"?	p. 25
How is neighboring behavior measured?	p. 28
The social composition of neighborhoods	p. 29
How helpful are Lanzhou neighbors?	p. 32
Instrumental exchange	p. 32
Expressive behavior	p. 34
Intra-group variation	p. 36
Ethnic variation in neighboring behavior	p. 36
Hui-Han differences in instrumental exchange	p. 37
Hui-Han differences in expressive behavior	p. 37
Discussions and summary	p. 41
Sworn brotherhood or modern friendship?	p. 44
Informal solidarities in historical perspective	p. 44
How should friendship ties be identified?	p. 46
Who are the respondents' friends?	p. 49
Sources	p. 49
Socio-demographic profiles	p. 49
Three main barriers to cross-status friendships	p. 52
Ethnic odds of cross-status friendships	p. 52
How does status condition friendship formation?	p. 55
Ethnic odds of cross-homophily friendships	p. 57
How does cultural capital shape friendship formation?	p. 59
Ethnic odds of friendship choices by interaction	p. 61
How does interaction affect friendship formation?	p. 63
Discussions and summary	p. 64
A lonely crowd or a network society?	p. 67
Network information	p. 69
Four main types of network activities	p. 70
Instrumental assistance	p. 71
Consultation	p. 72
Money matters and leisure	p. 74
Joint political activities	p. 76
Intra-group variation	p. 77
Multivariate analysis of network activities	p. 77
Hui-Han differences in instrumental assistance	p. 77
Hui-Han differences in consultation	p. 78
Hui-Han differences in joint leisure activities and money matters	p. 81
Hui-Han differences in joint political activities	p. 83
Discussions and summary	p. 83
Finding a mate in a metropolis	p. 86
Marital status	p. 88
Changes in mate selection methods	p. 89
Ethnic variation in arranged marriage and matchmaking	p. 90
Ethnic variation in introduction	p. 93
Ethnic variation in free choice	p. 97
Discussions and summary	p. 99
Who marries whom?	p. 101
Ethnic variation in close-relation marriage	p. 101
Ethnic variation in marrying parental acquaintances	p. 104
Ethnic variation in neighborhood romance	p. 105
Ethnic variation in laoxiang marriages	p. 106
Ethnic variation in school romance	p. 109
Ethnic variation in workplace love affairs	p. 110
Discussions and summary	p. 113
"Match-door" marriages	p. 114
Local views on homogamy	p. 114
A matrix of cross-status marriages	p. 116
Three main types of "mismatched" marriages	p. 116
Ascribed status	p. 116
Achieved status	p. 119
Cultural distinction	p. 121
Ethnic odds of cross-status marriages	p. 124
Modeling ethnic differences in homogamy	p. 126
How does ascribed status affect homogamy?	p. 126
How does achieved status shape homogamy?	p. 127
How does cultural distinction mold homogamy?	p. 129
Discussions and summary	p. 130
Family behavior	p. 132
Is there ethnic variation in family size?	p. 133
Is there ethnic variation infertility?	p. 137
A hard choice: household extension or conjugality?	p. 139
Discussions and summary	p. 142
Ethnicity and urban life in China	p. 144
Ethnic variation in modernity and traditionality	p. 144
Ethnic culture or status attainment?	p. 146
Pluralism or assimilation?	p. 148
From area studies to mainstream social science research	p. 150
Notes	p. 152
Bibliography	p. 169
Index	p. 182
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