A Study On Inter-ethnic Marriages Of Yugur And Its Influence In Modern

Yugur, one of Chinese ethnic groups with relatively small population, is one unique ethnic minority in Gansu Province.There are only about10,000Yugur people.Due to the effect of many factors,Yugur nationality intermarry with other ethnic groups.As a result,the rate of Yugur inter-ethnic marriage stands at a relatively high level and tends to grow fast, gradually taking place of endogamy.The increase of intermarriage family leads to great changes in Yugur marriage situation and has a comprehensive and profound effect on Yugur itself and its culture.ethnic identity as well as other local ethnic groups.In this dissertation,by combining historical materials with a large number of first-hand information such as field work and interviews about the region where the Yugur live,the author uses relevant theory of inter-ethnic marriage to make specific study on Yugur inter-ethnic marriage. The structure of this paper is composed of three parts.Part One is the introduction, which mainly contains three aspects:explaining the reason of choosing the topic and its meaning,research methods and data source;commenting on the theory of inte-rethnic marriage research at home and abroad and reviewing the relevant research of Yugur inter-ethnic marriage;briefly clarifying Yugur society,history,culture and the basic situation of towns in Sunan County where Yugur inhabits.Part Two is the main body which is made up of five aspects linking with each other.1. The trace of Yugur marriage history. It includes Yugur traditional marriage form and its changes and exemplifies it by quoting a typical family case. Moreover, this part dates back the history of Yugur inter-ethnic marriage to reveal its development traces.2. The explanation of the current situation, characteristics and trends of inter-ethnic marriage of Yugur. On the basis of arranging, classifying and analyzing of many cases, this part concludes the alliance type, ethnic type and regional type of inter-ethnic marriage and comprehensively shows the original appearance and basic rules of Yugur inter-ethnic marriage.3. This part explores and analyzes the factors which lead to inter-ethnic marriage between the Yugur and other ethnic groups and puts forward that the main factors are ethnic objective features, individual characteristics, social environment and psychology.4. This part discusses the relations between inter-ethnic marriage on one part and the Yugur and its cultural changes on the other part so as to comprehensively reveal the multi-effects of intermarriage to Yugur population, language,customs, family name and relatives’ appellation.5. In this part, the author traces and discusses the ethnic choice and identity of intermarriage descendents and further analyzes all the factors affecting their ethnic choice and identity.Part Three is the conclusion which puts forward the main opinions of this paper:1. Inter-ethnic marriage has a profound effect and extraordinary significance on the culture change of the Yugur. Firstly, the use and inheritance of language begin to have an obvious reduction and the number of people who use the language are decreasing. Secondly, inter-ethnic marriage expands their population size and improves the population quality. Thirdly, the large number of inter-ethnic marriage between Yugur and other ethnic groups affects Yugur etiquettes and customs such as their food habits, festivals and social intercourse as well as their marriage and funeral custom. In the inter-ethnic marriage families, there are mutual learning, adjustment and acculturation among multiethnic culture, which gradually expanding to all the Yugur,which to some extent riches and stimulates the development of Yugur culture. Lastly, inter-ethnic marriage also have a profound effect on Yugur traditional family name and relatives’ appellation.2. The change patterns mainly are integration and acculturation, in which acculturation is primary and its domain spans a wide range of all aspects of social life. The traits of change are not gradual or selectable, also do not combine or coordinate all kinds of received cultures with its own traditional culture system, form a new culture. The occurrence of change is furious, adventitious cultures enter its own ethnic culture massively, which results to the disappearance of the original cultural characteristics, the change of ethnic psychology and other aspects. Without doubt, there are other reasons causing cultural change so that we can not attribute all the reasons to inter-ethnic marriage. The Yugur nationality has its own choice and judgement in the process of receiving different cultures, really not totally and uncritically accepts them. Intermarriage is a social phenomenon with both advantages and disadvantages that leads to cultural change and to some extent enriches and stimulates the development of the Yugur culture in the process of contacting and communicating with different cultures.3. In the allied intermarriage, relationship among each ethnic group gradually becomes intimate, while both of them are interactively influenced and developed by each other.4. The ethnic identity of intermarriage descendants becomes multicultural. Some get strong sense of identity towards Yugur and its culture; while some get dual-identity, with inconsistent superimposed identity; ethnic identity.cultural identity and psychological identity.