Academic Publications

The Wang Lixiong Prophecy: ‘Palestinization’ in Xinjiang and the Consequences of Chinese State Securitization of Religion

Joanne Smith Finley, “The Wang Lixiong Prophecy: ‘Palestinization’ in Xinjiang and the Consequences of Chinese State Securitization of Religion,” Central Asian Survey 38, Issue 1, 13 November 2018: 81–101. Summary Finley argues that state securitization of religion has been counterproductive, and heightened societal insecurity and promoted inter-ethnic conflict between Uyghur and Han communities. Abstract  “In […]

China’s “War on Terror” in Xinjiang: Human Security and the Causes of Violent Uighur Separatism

Michael Clarke, “China’s “War on Terror” in Xinjiang: Human Security and the Causes of Violent Uighur Separatism,” Terrorism and Political Violence 20, Issue 2, 28 April 2008: 271–301. Summary Clarke argues that violent Uyghur separatism and terrorism conforms in a number of important respects to the human security theory of terrorism, particularly in the realm […]

Securitization, Insecurity and Conflict in Contemporary Xinjiang: Has PRC Counter-Terrorism Evolved into State Terror?

Joanne Smith Finley, “Securitization, Insecurity and Conflict in Contemporary Xinjiang: Has PRC Counter-Terrorism Evolved into State Terror?” Central Asian Survey 38, Issue 1, 11 March 2019: 1–26. Summary Finley argues that under the regime of Xi Jinping, China has turned counter-terrorism initiatives into its own form of state terror. Abstract In the Introduction to this […]

The Karakax List: Dissecting the Anatomy of Beijing’s Internment Drive in Xinjiang

Adrian Zenz, “The Karakax List: Dissecting the Anatomy of Beijing’s Internment Drive in Xinjiang,” Journal of Political Risk 8, no. 2, February 2020. Summary Zenz provides further primary evidence on the persecution and punishment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang from a leaked document from the County of Karakax in Hotan Prefecture. Abstract “The “Karakax List”, named […]

The Biopolitics of China’s “War on Terror” and the Exclusion of the Uyghurs

Sean R. Roberts, “The Biopolitics of China’s “War on Terror” and the Exclusion of the Uyghurs,” Critical Asian Studies 50, Issue 2, 2018: 232–258. Summary Roberts focuses on the “surveillance, punishment, and detention” that the China state undertakes to subjugate Uyghurs through a bio-political lens. Abstract This article provides an overview of People’s Republic of […]

The Hanification of Xinjiang, China: The Economic Effects of the Great Leap West

Amy H. Liu and Kevin Peters, “The Hanification of Xinjiang, China: The Economic Effects of the Great Leap West,” Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism 17, no. 2, October 2017: 265–280. Summary In The Hanification of Xinjiang, China: The Economic Effects of the Great Leap West, the authors examine the relationship between PRC leadership in Beijing […]

Surveillance in China’s Xinjiang Region: Ethnic Sorting, Coercion, and Inducement

James Leibold, “Surveillance in China’s Xinjiang Region: Ethnic Sorting, Coercion, and Inducement,” Journal of Contemporary China 29, Issue 121, 31 May 2019: 46–60 Summary Leibold explores the mechanics, logic and implications of Xinjiang’s surveillance society. Abstract Over the last decade, the Chinese Communist Party has built an unprecedented surveillant assemblage in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous […]

‘Thoroughly Reforming Them Towards a Healthy Heart Attitude’: China’s Political Re-Education Campaign in Xinjiang

Adrian Zenz, “‘Thoroughly Reforming Them Towards a Healthy Heart Attitude’: China’s Political Re-Education Campaign in Xinjiang,” Central Asian Survey 38, Issue 1, 5 September 2018: 102–128. Summary Zenz confirms the existence of re-education camps using evidence available from official government sources. Abstract In 1999, the Chinese government launched the Great Leap West – an ambitious […]