“Theorizing on Tibetan National Identity in Post-Maoist China”

With the introduction of Western political concepts of nation, nation-state, and sovereignty in Chinese political debate on modernity, the Chinese élites began to develop a new definition of China as a political entity. The “construction” of a new nation was reflected in the transition from the empire to the modern republican state. From the end of the nineteenth century until today, Han political, cultural and intellectual circles have searched for a balance between the principle of unity, typical of modern nation-states, and pluralism, reflecting the multi-ethnic composition and the extension of the new Chinese state they were claiming. After the Cultural Revolution, the pluralist definition of the Chinese state resurfaced, and the theory of pluralistic unity, as developed by the anthropologist Fei Xiaotong, has gradually become the academic argument in support of official positions on the question of nationality in post-Maoist China. This paper will address how independent Han scholars and intellectuals have theorized about the Chinese and Tibetan nation during the last three decades. In addition, this study attempts to uncover the cultural, historical and ideological roots of the representation pattern adopted by some major independent Han scholars, while defining Tibetan and Chinese national identity. Finally, the paper focuses on the rise of the debate on the Tibetan question and Tibetan identity after the Tibetan uprising in 2008. This major event has reawakened the interest of intellectuals traditionally devoted to the Tibetan issue, such as Wang Lixiong, as well as renowned professors, such as Wang Hui. It has inspired social activists such as Xu Zhiyong and encouraged developments such as the NGO Open Constitution Initiative.