This course will challenge common preconceptions of China by placing ethnic and religious minority groups at the center of the narrative, and demonstrating the key roles these groups have played in the Chinese past and present. Through guided readings, class discussions, and a series of written assignments, the course will acquaint students with the ethnic, religious, and cultural groups that have historically occupied half of modern China’s territory. A focus throughout the course will be on encountering these groups through their own voices, particularly through translations of minority-language memoirs and literature.
