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Topic Proposal - First Draft
Section:MW 15:30-16.45
Part I.
Explanation of Topic
Recently, I watched a documentary about the Great Wall of China then a thought
came to my mind which is Republic of China is exist hundreds of years in same place.
They have never changed their homeland. I know that China had lots of wars, social and
economic crisis through all these years but still, China has one of the largest lands in the
world. Also it is the most crowded country which their population is above 1.3 billion.
After the interactions with other nations and tribes, ethnic groups are derived in China
Republic, because these interactions caused disparity between group formations and
every group insisted on their own identities. Hence ethnic groups improved in China.
According to research, there are 56 ethnic groups that are officially recognized by the
government of the Republic of China and there are more of them are non-official ethnic
groups.1 These are the information that I knew before and I learned before. I found it
interesting because other nations have been fought and they have been struggled more
than China with less ethnic groups in their territorial boundaries. However, China has
many ethnic groups than other nations and they keep these groups under control. Even
the Han people which is the biggest group in China count as an ethnic group and their
population is larger than every single country which is 1.230 billion people.2 I am
curious about government’s policy towards to these groups and different points of view
to ethnicity because the Han people can be a nation or a country by themselves.
This topic is directly related to nationalism. In 1949, Republic of China became a
great nation founded in principle on ethnic equality and on friendship and cooperation
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between all the ethnic groups. We discussed over Hechter’s models towards to ethnic
groups and this topic will fit in his one of models which is applying gentle policy to
ethnic minorities. Also the situation of Republic of China can be explained by
Barrington’s ideas which is how to be a nation or concepts that should be in nationalism.
Part II.
Research Questions

What are the different parts of your topic and how do they relate to each other?
o How did the ethnic groups accept the policies?
o When did the ethnic groups grow?
o How was\is the Han people’s relations with other groups?
o Why Han people count themselves as an ethnic group?
o Are there any similarities between groups?

Cultural?

Religion?

Social?

Economical?
o Are there wars between groups?
o Which groups are more resistant to government?
o Does every group has own language?
o How did groups communicate with other ones?
o Does every group have their own territorial space?
o Has Communism affected the groups?
o If affected. How did affect?
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o Did neighbor countries influence?
o What is the attitude of groups when China is in war?
o Did people in the groups contribute to public services?

How is your topic related to our course theme, nationalism?
o How the ethnic groups national histories? Same or not?
o How is the service system in groups?
o How were group’s national identities?
o What are the steps to make the groups Chinese nation?
o How was government’s treatment to groups before?
o Did the group economically grow?
o What kind of policy did Chinese government follow?
o Did Han people accept the policy easily?
o Did the government force the groups who did not accept?
o What kind of cultural differences are there between ethnic groups?

Religious?

Linguistic?

Historical?
o Are the rights given to ethnic groups by government?
o Which regions of groups have successfully nationalized?
o Did some of the groups change their own identity?
o How did the policy change point of view to nationalism?
o Did government bring all the social services to all ethnic groups?
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
How and why has your topic changed over time (through history)?
o
How did the interactions between the ethnic groups change after the policy?
o
How did the neighbors of China respond this policy?
o
Did the other ethnic groups want to accept this policy through the years?
o
Did people in different ethnic groups change their mentality?
o
How was China’s economic growth before fight with ethnic groups? How is
now?
o
Is this change creates any chaos through the years?
Topic Statement
I will research gentle policy of Chinese government towards to many ethnic groups that
live in homeland of China because I want to find out how do ethnic groups live
comfortably, which rights do they have or do they have all rights, in which ways that
groups are dependent to government socially, and how is their economic independence in
order to understand ethnic groups’ collective action and use of joint goods because
China’s economy grow rapidly day by day and in order to understand method of
approach to the nationalism of the largest country in the world.
Part III.
Sources
What kinds of sources do you plan to use?
I am planning to use encyclopedias to look up more information and details about China
and ethnic groups in China. I should know more about their history to see the changes
between past and present. After that I will definitely use secondary sources like articles.
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Articles will help me to see in different way on my topic. I should dig into articles and I
should get examples and information that I didn’t know. Probably, articles will supply
enough information to develop my ideas and write my essay clearly.
Key terms:
1. Yunnan: It is the major area in the southwest of China that the most of the ethnic
groups distributed.
2. Regional Autonomy: It is act that people in certain area manage their area and
improves their languages, protect and reform their traditions, beliefs
3. Delegation: It is the group or person that gives authorization.
4. Communism: It is ideology that contains equality, common rights and closed
economy.
5. Mao Zedong: Leader of Communist China and founder of People’s Republic of
China.
Sources:
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