Thesis
Changing British perspectives on Chinese Xinjiang at the end of the nineteenth century
Washington State University
Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
2012
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/100807
Abstract
During the nineteenth century Britain and Russia were engaged in a contest for political and economic control of Asia. During this “Great Game” conflict, British and Russian policymakers came to eye Xinjiang, the westernmost province of Qing China, with keen interest. British policy makers, fearing a Russian invasion of India through Xinjiang, desired the creation of a friendly buffer state in the region. As British travelers journeyed to Xinjiang, they employed Orientalist perspectives in their interpretation of the Han Chinese and Turkic Uyghur populations they witnessed there. As the century progressed, in accordance with geopolitical policy aims, British travelers developed a racial hierarchy viewing the minority Chinese population as natural rulers over the majority Uyghurs. An analysis of the Orientalist representations of British travelers to Xinjiang during this period is revealing of the transnational nature of European scientific and intellectual movements. As European empires expanded across the globe, they developed pseudo-scientific racial justifications for their supremacy over subject populations. These intellectual endeavors were the product of an exchange of ideas between the imperial metropole, colonies and even beyond imperial boundaries. Additionally, such analysis reveals the importance of political motivations in cultural representation. The geopolitical motivations of the British Empire significantly influenced the writings of British travelers to Xinjiang. Finally, such an analysis offers important insights into the nineteenth century historical processes of nation-building and imperialism. Comparison between modes of statecraft and imperialism in Xinjiang and Europe demonstrates the similarities across the Eurasian continent during this period.
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Details
- Title
- Changing British perspectives on Chinese Xinjiang at the end of the nineteenth century
- Creators
- Tyler Schroeder
- Contributors
- Heather Streets-Salter (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- History, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; [Pullman, Washington] :
- Identifiers
- 99900525147401842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis