Fall 2009. RLG356. Islam in China
Department for the Study of Religion, University of Toronto
Thursdays 11-1pm, Wilson Hall 524, New College
Instructor: Amanda Goodman
Office hours: Tuesdays 1-2pm, 334 JHB
Email: amanda.goodman@utoronto.ca
Phone: 416-946-3350
Course Description
This course is an introduction to the history of Islam in China. We will begin in the seventh century and trace the development of medieval Muslim communities through the Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties. We will also examine the expansion of Islam under the Qing, China’s last imperial dynasty. Drawing on a number of recent ethnographic studies, we will also examine the practice of Islam in China today, including the practices of two of China’s Muslim minorities, the Hui and Uyghur.
NOTE: This semester you will be asked to create and maintain a personal blog on which you will post regular blog entries, contribute to group discussions, and present your final projects.
Course Readings
There is a required course reader available for purchase at Quality Control Copy Centre (333 Bloor St. W). Additional readings will be made available on Blackboard (aka The Portal).
Grading
Class participation, including: 10%
Regular attendance and active class participation
Creation and maintenance of a personal blog
Four short papers (two pages maximum, 15% each) 60%
Electronic Portfolios (due December 3, 2009), including: 30%
Five informal blog entries (2% each)
Final project (20%)
Class Participation
In order to receive the full participation grade, you must make a positive contribution to the class as a whole. That means coming to class prepared and participating in weekly discussions.
Reading Assignments
Generally speaking, class readings fall under two headings – historical materials, both primary and secondary, and theoretically or methodologically oriented pieces that reflect on the nature of the study of religion itself. You are expected to complete each reading assignment in full and are encouraged to make the most of supplementary course materials. Please bring each week’s readings to class.
Short Papers
This semester you will be asked to write four short papers (two pages maximum). Each paper will be graded on the quality of the writing and is worth 15% of your total grade. The format of individual assignments will vary, but most will take the form of critical summaries or précis of selected secondary sources. As short as they might seem, each paper is meant to be a coherent and elegant piece of writing. Please keep in mind:
* All papers are due at the start of class.
* You must submit a hard copy of your work. I will not print, read, or grade assignments sent over email.
* You must proofread your work before submitting it in class.
* No late work will be accepted without a documented medical excuse.
Electronic Portfolios
An electronic portfolio is a record of all the things that you have done over the course of the year on your personal blog. This includes your informal blog entries, as well as your final project. You are encouraged to be as creative as possible with your personal blog, and to incorporate a variety of materials on your site (original written work, electronic files, images, multimedia resources, and so on).
Blog Entries
This year you will be asked to post five informal entries (worth 2% each of your total grade each) on your personal blog. All entries must be archived on your blog for evaluation. Rather than formal essays, blog entries are meant to be personal reflections on specified readings. Although you are free to experiment with different writing styles, you must proofread your work before posting it. Your entries must demonstrate (1) a thorough understanding of the assigned readings and (2) an attempt to situate those readings within the framework of that week’s theme or topic.
Final Project
Your final project will take the form of an online presentation of your research topic. Mid-way through the term you will be asked to select a topic to research and design a project around. Topics are open, but you must address some aspect of the Islamic tradition in China, whether historic or modern. Again, you are encouraged to be as creative as possible with your project, but all projects must include original student writing. Specific content requirements will be distributed in class. You must submit a final project proposal no later than Thursday, November 5, 2009 for instructor approval. Final projects must be completed by the last class (December 3, 2009). No extensions will be granted and no late work will be accepted without a documented medical excuse.
A Note on Names and Terms
We will cover a good deal of material in this class. That means we will encounter a number of unfamiliar names and terms from numerous languages transcribed in a variety of romanization systems (Uighur, Uyghur). In addition, we will come across several official and academic designations that might be new to you (caliphate, philologist). Please do not be discouraged! One suggestion for dealing with the large number of unfamiliar terms is to keep a notebook handy to jot down new words as you read.
Cell Phones, Computers, and Other Gadgets
Please turn off all cell phones and music players before the start of class. If you do use a computer to take notes, please be considerate of those around you. Those found using the computer for reasons unrelated to this class will lose the privilege of using her computer in class.
Student Services
The University of Toronto has a wealth of resources for students, including help with writing and tips for studying at the Learning Skills site. Students with disabilities should also visit the Accessibility site. Everyone is encouraged to make use of the Writing Center website.
Academic Integrity
There is a zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism or any other form of academic dishonesty in this course. Please refer to the University’s Code of Student Conduct Code of Student Conduct and the Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters.
***Tentative Weekly Schedule***
• Material in the Course Reader marked ‘CR’
• Material available on the course website marked with an asterisk*
• Additional charts and maps will be distributed in class and/or posted on the course website
September 10 Why are we here?
Required Background Reading
*Donald Daniel Leslie, “The Integration of Religious Minorities in China: The Case of Chinese Muslims” (Fifty-ninth George Ernest Morrison Lecture in Ethnology 1998) (CR)
September 17 Locating Islam in China
(Blog Entry)
Geography, physical and political; language, ethnicity and related problems
Readings
Jonathan Lipman, “Introduction” and “Frontier Ground and Peoples of Northwest China” in Familiar Strangers: A History of Muslims in Northwest China (Seattle: U. of Washington Press, 1997) (CR)
James Millward and Peter C. Perdue, “Political and Cultural History of the Xinjiang Region through the Late Nineteenth Century” in Xinjiang: China’s Muslim Borderland (London: M.E. Sharpe, 2004) (CR)
September 24 The Politics of Religion in Modern China
(Short Paper 1 Due)
Readings
Yoshiko Ashiwa and David L. Wank, “Making Religion, Making the State in Modern China: An Introductory Essay” in Making Religion, Making the State: The Politics of Religion in Modern China, ed. by Yoshiko Ashiwa and David L. Wank (Stanford UP, 2009) (CR)
Dru Gladney, “Islam in China: State Policing and Identity Politics” in Making Religion, Making the State: The Politics of Religion in Modern China, ed. by Yoshiko Ashiwa and David L. Wank (Stanford UP, 2009) (CR)
October 1 Islam in China through the Ming Dynasty
(Blog Entry)
Reading
Michael Dillon, China’s Muslim Hui Community (Richmond, Surrey: Curzon, 1999), selections (CR)
October 8 The Dao of Muhammad
(Short Paper 2 Due)
Sinification of Islam
Readings
*Zvi Ben-Dor Benite, Dao of Muhammad (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2005), selections
Sachiko Murata, Chinese Gleams of Sufi Light (Albany: SUNY, 2000), selections (CR)
Luo Xiaowei, “China,” in The Mosque: History, Architectural Development and Regional Diversity (London: Thames and Hudson, 1994) (CR)
*Anthony Garnaut, “Islamic Calligraphy in China” in China Heritage Newsletter 5 (2006) http://www.chinaheritagenewsletter.org/features.php?searchterm=005_calligraphy.inc&issue=005
October 15 Islam under the Qing
(Blog Entry)
Readings
Jonathan Lipman, “Connections: Muslims in the Early Qing, 1644-1781,” in Familiar Strangers: A History of Muslims in Northwest China (Seattle: U. of Washington Press, 1997) (CR)
October 22 Chinese Muslims in the 19th-20th Centuries
(Paper 3 Due)
Readings
James A. Millward, “Between Empire and Nation,” in Eurasian Crossroads: A History of Xinjiang (Columbia UP, 2007) (CR)
Dru Gladney, “Indigenizations: Ethnogenesis or Ethnogenicide,” in Dislocating China: Reflections on Muslims, Minorities, and Other Subaltern Subjects (London: Hurst and Co., 2004) (CR)
October 29 Case Study: Xi’an’s Hui Community
(Blog Entry)
Readings
Maris Boyd Gillette, Between Mecca and Beijing: Modernization and Consumption among Urban Chinese Muslims (Stanford UP, 2000), selections (CR)
*Maris Gillette, “The ‘Glorious Returns’ of Chinese Pilgrims to Mecca,” in Living with Separation in China: Anthropological Accounts, ed. by Charles Stafford (Richmond, Surrey: Curzon Press, 2003) (CR)
November 5 Case Study: Chinese Muslim Women
(Final Project Proposals Due)
Reading
Maria Jaschok and Shui Jingjun, The History of Women’s Mosques in Chinese Islam: A Mosque of Their Own (Richmond, Surrey: Curzon, 2000), selections (CR)
November 12 Fall Break – No Class
November 19 Case Study: The Uyghurs of Contemporary Xinjiang
(Short Paper 4 Due)
Readings
Jay Dautcher, Identity and Masculinity in a Uyghur Community in Xinjiang China (Cambridge: Harvard UP, 2009), selections (CR)
November 26 Making Muslims: Islam under the PRC
(Blog Entry)
Readings
Justin Rudelson and William Jankowiak, “Acculturation and Resistance: Xinjiang Identities in Flux” in Frederick S. Starr, Xinjiang: China’s Muslim Borderland (London: M.E. Sharpe, 2004) (CR)
Dru Gladney, “Cyber-Separatism (8),” “Socializations: Educating China’s Others (12),” and “Gulf Wars and Displaced Persons (14)” in Dislocating China: Reflections on Muslims, Minorities, and Other Subaltern Subjects (London: Hurst and Co., 2004) (CR)
December 3 Final Discussion: The Practice of Islam in China Today
No readings – final project presentations
