Project

China's Muslims and Japan's Empire

Program

Henry Luce Foundation/ ACLS Program in China Studies Postdoctoral Fellowships

Department

History

Abstract

In "China’s Muslims and Japan’s Empire", I argue that the constant reconfiguration of global networks in the Asia-Pacific region by imperial powers in the twentieth century had a lasting impact on the prevailing ethnic classifications within the PRC. I show how Japanese imperialism partly enabled alternate visions of autonomy for Muslim minorities in China during an era of collaboration and internationalism. My research highlights the global connections facilitated by Japanese imperialists with Muslims who lived under the shadow of occupation. Forging connections beyond the borders of occupied China, Muslims also served as mouthpieces of Japanese imperialism and provided the Japanese with the means to expand their political and cultural influence in the greater Islamic world.