Neoliberal multiculturalism and ethnic entrepreneurial self: A transnational perspective on ethnicity in China

This research challenges the methodological nationalism that dominates studies of ethnic minorities in China, which often focus on how power dynamics within the nation-state shape ethnic identity formation. Drawing on discourse analysis, ethnographic fieldwork, and interviews with Hui Muslims in Yiwu—China’s global trade hub—this article adopts a transnational approach to examine how the state and minority individuals construct ethnicity. Building on theories of neoliberal multiculturalism and ethnic capital, I argue that China’s integration into the global economy has produced a discourse of neoliberal multiculturalism that assigns global market value to minority groups’ ethnic capital. Hui Muslims engaged with this state discourse to strategically construct an ethnic entrepreneurial self. I show how neoliberal multiculturalism served as a cultural repertoire to facilitate or constrain Hui Muslims’ efforts to negotiate symbolic hierarchies and state power. These findings shed light on how economic globalization reshapes ethnic minority people’s social positioning. The article also contributes to the theory of neoliberal multiculturalism by extending its analysis beyond state governance, exploring how it has functioned as a repertoire for transnational ethnic actors to negotiate self-identity and status inequalities.