Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)One strange thing about this book is that the author had such a difficult time finding a mosque in Shanghai while living there. I found the Xiaotaoyuan Mosque one afternoon while just walking around during a two-day stopover. Others can be found here: [...].
On Kaltman's methodology: He claims to have conducted an ethnography. The fact is that most credible ethnography is marked by long-term personal involvement with those being studied. Kaltman conducted research over a period of less than a year at four sites. This would put him at 3 months per site which doesn't quite meet the criterion of length. He repeatedly characterizes his interviews as "in-depth" but they seem to be more like casual one-off conversations. He talks with people on the street; there is no evidence of trust - the type of trust that builds relationships and leads to meaningful conversations and analysis.
On Kaltman's conclusions: His advocacy of Mandarin-language assimilation made me shiver. To that I say, shame on you Blaine Kaltman. I admit that I am biased because I am a proponent of linguistic diversity. But I feel that Kaltman is somewhat blinded by the merits he associates with the eradication of the Uyghur language. I find it strange that Kaltman says that a number of the Uyghurs he met were proponents of the removal of the Uyghur language from the regional system of education. I spent a year and a half in the Uyghur region and I didn't meet a single Uyghur who advocated for Mandarin language assimilation. All the Uyghurs I know are upset that their language is losing ground to Mandarin in the regional system of education.
It pains me to give a one star rating to a novice researcher but I found Kaltman's conclusions unconscionable and appalling.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Under the Heel of the Dragon: Islam, Racism, Crime, and the Uighur in China (Ohio RIS Global Series)
The Turkic Muslims from Central Asia known as the Uighur have long faced social and economic disadvantages in China due to their minority status. Under the Heel of the Dragon: Islam, Racism, Crime, and the Uighur in China offers a unique insight into current conflicts resulting from the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and the Chinese government's oppression of religious minorities that have heightened the degree of polarization between the Uighur and the dominant Chinese ethnic group, the Han. Author Blaine Kaltman's study is based on in-depth interviews that he conducted in Chinese without either the aid of an interpreter or the knowledge of the Chinese government. These riveting conversations expose the thoughts of a wide socioeconomic spectrum of Han and Uighur, revealing their mutual prejudices. The Uighurs believe that the Han discriminate against them in almost every aspect of their lives, and this perception of racism motivates the Uighurs' own prejudice against the Han. Kaltman reports that Uighur criminal activity (unlike that of other minorities, which predominantly occurs within their own communities) is directed against their perceived oppressors, the Han Chinese. Under the Heel of the Dragon offers a unique insight into a misunderstood world and a detailed explanation of the cultural perceptions that drive these misconceptions.
