This dissertation examines patterns of intermarriage between members of a Chinese Muslim ethnic group (the Hui) with non-Muslims (mostly Han) in eastern China. More specifically, the research documents how Islamic affiliation and ethnic identity are negotiated and changed at marriage in the context of strong interventions by the Chinese State into the affairs of ethnic minorities. There were several research questions. 1) How do State policies that benefit ethnic minorities motivate members of the Han majority to change their ethnic identification to minority status at the time of marriage? 2) How do intermarried minority members maintain their Islamic identity despite strict Islamic intermarriage prohibitions, particularly with regards to women? 3) Why do all intermarried couples choose minority status for their children? 4) What type of religious and ethnic education is offered to these children of intermarried couples?;The study is based on three years of intensive fieldwork (2010-13) and nearly 10 years of contact. The research was conducted in Bozhou, a city in eastern China, with a population of 1.41 million, 40,000 of whom are Muslims. Research methods included participant observation and interviews with more than 150 intermarried couples. Typical marriage and family customs of both ethnic groups were observed and compared. Information was also gleaned from government statistics, historical records, and Chinese ethnographies.;Most of the Muslims that marry non-Muslims in Bozhou are women, and intermarried Han change their ethnic status to that of Hui. These are serious departures both from Islamic law, which forbids Muslim women to intermarry, and from Chinese law, which forbids adults to change their ethnic status. The consequences of these anomalies for personal and group identity are explored. It is hoped that this research will 1) contribute to our understanding of the meanings and consequences of intermarriage between two ethnic groups, and 2) enrich the literature on the State and ethnicity, the State and religion, and the fluidity of ethnic and religious identities. In addition, by focusing on Chinese Muslims in an inland area, this research fills a gap in Chinese Muslim studies, which usually concentrate on border areas.
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