Othering with Chinese Characteristics: Discrimination in Classical Chinese Thought and Modern-Day Repression of Uyghurs

In recent years, China has enacted repressive policies targeting the Uyghur ethnic group in Xinjiang, a region in the country’s northwest. This Article argues that such modern-day policies stem in part from the intellectual tradition of othering in classical Chinese thought. This Article presents a framework for understanding Chinese-style othering along three related dimensions—spatial othering, cultural othering, and ethnic othering. American policymakers seeking to persuade China to respect human rights in Xinjiang can benefit from understanding China’s intellectual tradition of othering and can use this knowledge to develop future policy options.