Family photographs at the intersection of vernacular and official memories: Remembering Han migration to Xinjiang

This study investigates the photographic memory of governmental-led Han migration from central China to Xinjiang since the 1950s. Going beyond the state-driven official narrative of the Han people joining the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) as ‘borderland constructors’ in the nation-building process, this study uncovers a mnemonic landscape by exploring the vernacular memories of Han migration through memory practices used to engage with treasured family photographs. Drawing on John Bodnar’s discussion of the relation between vernacular and official memories, this study treats family photographs as memory objects and analyses family photograph practices in multi-generational Han families. This study used 45 interviews with 15 families on their practices for engaging with family photographs documenting the migration to reveal how these photographs mark significant life moments and achievements of resettled individuals and connects personal experiences with national history while facilitating generational transmission. Drawing on original contributions grounded in empirical data from ethnographic interviews, this study examines the distinctive dynamics of vernacular and official memory in Chinese nation-building as encapsulated in these family photographs.