Xinjiang/East Turkestan in the twentieth century
Read two book chapters (academic) and two websites (political). One chapter comes from Gardner Bovingdon’s The Uyghurs: Strangers in Their Own Land.
One chapter comes from an edited volume, China, Xinjiang, and Central Asia: History, Transition and Crossborder Interaction in the 21st Century.
One website is provided by the People’s Republic of China. https://www.mfa.gov.cn/ce/cegv/eng/zywjyjh/t1683694.htm One website is provided by the Uyghur World Congress. It presents the history of the region from the point of view of the Congress and, presumably, many Uyghur peoples: https://www.uyghurcongress.org/en/east-turkestan-2/
So, here is the subject for an essay: First, how do the PRC and the Congress differently explain the history of the region? Pick 3 or 4 factual matters of interpretations.
Second, why do they have these differing interpretations? Which do you find to be the most accurate?
Finally, based on what you have discussed, do you feel that, in the twentieth century, Xinjiang/East Turkestan continued to experience a history of colonialism?
