Depoliticisation or Repoliticisation? Analysing the “Second-Generation Minzu Policy” and Its Implications for State–Minority Relations in China

Moqing Jia ()
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Moqing Jia: University of Manchester

A chapter in Proceedings of the 2026 11th International Conference on Social Sciences and Economic Development (ICSSED 2026), 2026, pp 847-854 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract This paper examines whether China’s proposed ‘second-generation minzu policy’ signifies the depoliticisation of ethnic issues, analysing its political implications for state-minzu relations. Through comparative case studies of Xinjiang, Tibet and Inner Mongolia, the research reveals this policy embodies a dual process: on the one hand, discursive depoliticisation promoting ethnic integration and shared national identity; on the other, institutional repoliticisation reinforcing state control while eroding substantive autonomy. By integrating discourse analysis with institutional tracing, this paper contends that this reconfiguration of governance structures constitutes not a political retreat, but a strategic transformation in how state power is exercised and legitimised within a multi-ethnic context. The findings offer insights for contemporary debates on ethnic governance in China, assimilation policies, and the tensions between integration and autonomy.

Keywords: Second-generation minzu policy; Depoliticization; Repoliticization; Ethnic governance; State-minority relations; Autonomy; Assimilation; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:advbcp:978-94-6239-701-9_87

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DOI: 10.2991/978-94-6239-701-9_87

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