Wai Chuen Social Changes

Social change is the most important and challenging main topics in contemporary sociology. In china, after the new government established in 1949, especially after the reform and opening policy, the minority nation's residential area changed so fast, and it leads to some related changes in their society. Now, social changes of minority groups becoming an interesting area for social researchers in china.Uyghur is the most popular nation in Xin Jiang,80% of them resident in southern part of Xin Jiang, and most of them living with peasantry. After the new china government established, especially after the reform and opening policy, Uyghur village's economy developed so fast, and entered modern society. With the modernization, agricultural mechanization, and generalize of agricultural techniques, which leads to related changes in Uyghur villagers life style and produce relationships.This paper aims to discuss and answer such problems:as resident in the oasis surround by desert, how about Uyghur villagers thru life? How are they establishing their society? How is the main effect of the fast development of socioeconomics of villagers? How are they adapting to the changeable modern life? Which kind of difficulties and problems are they confronted today? What is dynamics of Uyghur village's social change? What is direction of the changes? In sociological study, every researcher will confront to choosing research places. This paper mainly studding about one Uyghur village's social changes in Toq Su county, the southern part in Xin Jiang. This village was achieved mechanization in three decades, and now, cotton is economic crop, wheat and maize are the consume crops for villagers. After the agricultural modernization, villagers attempt to develop livestock farmings and horticulture for increasing family income.This paper using two concepts as "community" and "social change "in sociology, and mainly discuss this village's social changes, the directions of theses changes and adaptation of traditional culture, after the reform and opining policy. It will be provide a typical case study for helping to understand social change and cultural adaptation of Uyghur villages.This paper consists of seven chapters:Chapter one is introduction. In this chapter, mainly introduce the research purpose, research area, field work sites, related references, theoretical framework of this study, research methods and research hypothesis.In chapter two, describing the village's characteristics under the geographical and historical coordinates. It included the village situated county's natural environment, historical landscapes, population, family, contemporary education. In chapter three, analyzes the villager's economic life. This chapter is the main part of this paper. It mainly included land reform policy, farm and irrigation developments, scientifically cultivation, mechanization, and discussing about the recent changes and adaptation of Uyghur village society to market economy.In chapter four, introducing villager's material lives. It includes the changes of foods, clothes, houses, transportations. In this chapter, Mainly discussing the " new village construction " policy and it's effects to Uyghur villagers.In chapter five, analyzes the religious culture and social control. It includes the relationship between Islam and daily life, Mosque and Uyghur society.in this chapter, mainly analyzes the main function of Islam in traditional Uyghur society, and the new problems that Uyghur religious culture confronted in the beginning of the new era.In chapter six, discussing about life-cycle rituals and festivals, it included the appearance of birthday, name-giving, cradle ceremony, circumcision, celebrating female fertility, marriage, burial rites and festivals.Chapter seven summarizes the main results of each chapter and provides some suggestions for the future work.According to this study, Uyghur villager's traditional culture was still changed and adapted to the social changes in practice. In future, with the development of society, villagers will shape new strategy, adapts to new situation and coping with new problems.