Introduction to 'Islam in China/China in Islam'

Cross-Currents: East Asian History and Culture Review, Vol. 12, pp. 1-13. 2014

13 Pages Posted: 24 Apr 2015

See all articles by Matthew S. Erie

Matthew S. Erie

University of Oxford; University of Oxford - Centre for Socio-Legal Studies

Allen Carlson

Cornell University

Date Written: September 14, 2014

Abstract

Rather than China versus Islam, the overarching theme of this special issue is “Islam in China/China in Islam.” In thinking through “Islam in China,” we argue that the relationship between China and Islam is not one of opposition, but rather one of cultural, linguistic, and economic imbrication. Indeed, it is difficult to describe Islam and China as two separate or essentialized entities. For some Muslim minorities in certain regions of China, there is no distinction between neo-Confucianism and Islam or between the nation-state and the global umma (community of Muslims). Through intellectual labor, modes of prayer and worship, art, calligraphy, architecture, cuisine, linguistic creoles, and legal pluralism, these Muslims embody multiple cultural referents. For other Muslim minorities in other regions in China, political and economic circumstances present challenges to living in accordance with Islam while also being a citizen of the PRC. In other words, the Muslim experience in China encompasses a complex mosaic of accommodation, adjustment, preservation, and, at times, resistance. Thus, generalizations about this incredibly diverse population are unhelpful, and careful attention must be paid to history, politics, and place.

Keywords: China; Islamic law

Suggested Citation

Erie, Matthew Steven and Carlson, Allen, Introduction to 'Islam in China/China in Islam' (September 14, 2014). Cross-Currents: East Asian History and Culture Review, Vol. 12, pp. 1-13. 2014, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2597548

Matthew Steven Erie (Contact Author)

University of Oxford ( email )

Dickson Poon Building
Canterbury Road
Oxford, Oxfordshire OX2 6LU
United Kingdom

HOME PAGE: http://www.orinst.ox.ac.uk/staff/ch/erie.html

University of Oxford - Centre for Socio-Legal Studies ( email )

Wellington Square
Oxford, OX1 2JD
United Kingdom

HOME PAGE: http://https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/people/matthew-erie

Allen Carlson

Cornell University ( email )

Ithaca, NY 14853
United States

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