ABSTRACT
This chapter presents important implications regarding the ways in which these young Uyghurs interpret and, in some cases, challenge their assigned membership to the Zhonghua minzu. Modern Uyghur ethno-nationalism is partly predicated on claims of indigeneity to the oases of the Tarim Basin. Uyghurs also face employment discrimination, especially during the hiring process. The formal policy encouraged Xinjiang Class graduates to return to Xinjiang but allowed them to remain in inland China if they so wished. In contrast to the more jarring testimonies presented above, other Xinjiang Class graduates plan to return to Xinjiang after first pursuing employment or advanced degrees in neidi. Assertions of ethno-nationalism are not limited to the maintenance of common ethnic markers. Rather, expressions of ethno-national identity involve many nuances, and can take the form of resistance to political culture. This resistance does not always manifest itself in public protests and violent uprisings.
