Belonging Under Condition. How does Xi-era “national unity” discourse shape the vision of belonging in China, particularly regarding the Uyghurs ?

Details

Supervisors

Atanassova, Elena

Faculty

Faculté des sciences économiques, sociales, politiques et de communication

Degree label

Master [120] en sciences politiques, orientation relations internationales, à finalité spécialisée: diplomatie et résolution des conflits

Abstract

enFramed by a constructivist view of language as practice, this study offers a critical discourse reading of official English texts on Xinjiang from 2014–2023. The corpus gathers three registers: State Council white papers (2017–2021), internal instructions from the 2014 Xinjiang tour published in 2019, and state-media items from 2022–2023. The inquiry asks how repetition, strategic word choice or omission, grammar (modality, passives, nominalization), and recurring metaphors build a performative reality in which minority belonging becomes graded and conditional. Keyword counts give orientation; close reading tracks actor visibility, legitimation paths, and intertextual ties and timing. Findings cluster around four themes: cultural harmony paired with forced belonging; religion under control; security as a test of membership; law and discipline as everyday administration. The inside voice calls for “normalization” and zero-mercy. White papers translate that line into routine via binaries such as lawful/illegal and extremism/deradicalization. Media then dress the program in family language—“lifeline,” “big family”—while elevating community Party branches as the capillaries of unity. Putonghua promotion sits at the hinge of public inclusion. Taken together, the materials show discourse working as method of governance, not mere ornament. Outputs include a compact indicator kit; limits include English editions, partial leaks, and no reception testing.