| From the perspective of political science,a country is not only a tangible community in material terms but also an intangible community in psychological terms.The crux of constructing national identity lies in establishing an imaginary community through social interactions among individuals and between individuals and their nation.National identity does not emerge spontaneously;rather,it is the outcome of deliberate efforts towards national construction.In the early years of the founding of the People’s Republic of China,influenced by grand nationalism and local nationalism,minority groups lacked comprehension of this multi-ethnic nation and harbored doubts about the new regime.Particularly for border ethnic groups,their sense of identity was ambiguous.Consequently,effectively establishing and consolidating a sense of unified multi-ethnic nationality among minority populations while fostering contemporary China as an inclusive imaginary community with cohesive force becomes not only a crucial challenge for constructing national identity in New China but also an unavoidable task for maintaining national unity in present-day China.During this period,the party and the government used the popular media of film to spread national ideology,taking minorities as the protagonists on the screen and guiding the priority of ethnic identity and national identity,aiming to upgrade ethnic identity to national identity,so as to provide a solid political and psychological basis for maintaining the unity of the country.The study of the practice of national identity construction by using ethnic minority-themed films in the early years of New China is not only of great value for understanding the history of contemporary China’s national construction and answering the academic issue of why the unified country continues to continue,but also of great reference significance for improving the national cohesion in China.This paper takes the ethnic minority-themed films texts of the "17 years" of New China as the research object,and shows the practical mechanism of national identity construction through films from three aspects: State intention,State action,and film texts produced under the will of the state,and makes a tentative analysis of the effectiveness and main experience of national identity construction.State intention constitutes the starting point of the study of ethnic minority-themed films construction of national identity,which needs to answer the background of the production of ethnic minority-themed films in the early years of the People’s Republic of China.In the early years of the People’s Republic of China,the national identity of minority groups faced: First,the lack of recognition of the unified multi-ethnic country.Under the geographical space limitation of the super large-scale country,and under the influence of the ethnic policy of the ruling class in old China,the recognition of various ethnic groups as a multi-ethnic country was restricted.With the collapse of the dynastic state,the imperial power as the symbolic authority of the border ethnic areas disintegrated,and some minorities lacked a sufficient understanding of the unity of the multi-ethnic country.In addition,the ideological infiltration of external forces in the border areas in modern times also disturbed the people’s national concept to a certain extent.Second,the lack of recognition of the socialist New China.Due to the influence of the great nationalism and local nationalism in old China,the emotions of minorities were hurt.In the early years of the People’s Republic of China,the state’s social infiltration in the ethnic areas was limited,and the minority people lacked understanding of the new regime’s policies on ethnic and border areas.Third,the lack of recognition of the sovereignty attribute of the country.Due to the fuzzy concept of the traditional Chinese border and the numerous cross-border ethnic groups in the border areas,some minority people in the border areas have a fuzzy cognition of their own identity.In the above background,how to construct national identity for the particularity of border areas and minority groups is an important issue facing the national construction of New China.State action refers to the specific measures taken by the state in the political practice of constructing national identity,aiming to explore the role played by the state in disseminating national ideology through ethnic minority-themed films.The state participates in the production process of film production,distribution and consumption.In the film production stage,the state sets up special state institutions to deploy the film creation plan and theme setting,review minority film themes and content,as well as encourage their creation and production.Through unified management and standardization of film production,the state effectively guides identity discourse direction and visualizes national image representation.In terms of film dissemination,the state provides policy support such as training projection personnel,reducing audience movie-watching costs,establishing film projection networks etc.,with a focus on enabling people from rural areas and minority regions to have access to films for maximizing national ideology dissemination through this medium.During film consumption stage,the state translates films into national languages before screening,and encourages projectionists to explain in national languages during screening,so as to help audiences in minority areas overcome language barriers to watch and understand.After watching the film,through the form of symposium,deepen the people’s understanding of the film,guide the minority acceptance of the national narrative.Under a series of State actions,the "17 Years" ethnic minority-themed films present the discourse expression of the state using films to construct identity.The core of constructing national identity around minority groups is how to extend ethnic identity to national identity through the presentation of films.The public’s identity with the state involves the identity with collective identity,the identity with regime,territory and public value advocated by the state.Compared with traditional China,the elements constituting national identity have changed,and reflecting this change is an important way to shape people’s sense of identity.First,in the shaping of collective identity,the class identity that people gather together replaces the identity of subjects.By presenting the hero image and bright metaphor in the film,the state shapes the morality and advanced nature of proletarian identity,and cohesion of proletarians with the exploiting class as "others".The state elevates the status of minorities to guide people’s collective identity.Second,in the power-right mechanism of the state,the socialist state with people’s sovereignty replaces the imperial politics.In the "17 Years" ethnic minority-themed films,the state uses symbolic symbols to convey unified political authority in the minority cultural space,presenting the integration of local authority and religious authority.In the film,the socialist regime that guarantees people’s sovereignty,maintains gender equality and ethnic equality is presented,and people’s collective identity is condensed based on the right protection.Third,in terms of the geospatial elements of the country,modern territory replaces the territory under the radiation of "Son of Heaven".In the images of ethnic minority-themed films in "The 17 Years" show the natural landscape of the territory,the construction of homes in the territory,and the struggle of people of all ethnic groups to defend the territory and fight for independence.The multiple meanings of the territory establish the emotional connection between people and the country.Fourth,in terms of the public values advocated by the state,the values with Marxism and socialism as the core provide the interrelated ties between members of society.Through the modern adaptation of ethnic minority folklore and the shaping of typical characters,ethnic minority-themed films in "The 17 Years" take Marxist class concept and ethnic unity concept as the norms for the self-internalization of the masses of all ethnic groups.The study of national identity also entails the analysis of the feedback on identity construction.By examining the comments made by individuals who watched films during the early years of New China,we can to some extent gauge the effectiveness of constructing national identity through ethnic minority-themed films.Through textual analysis of movie-watching feedback,it becomes evident that this activity has broadened ethnic minority people’s understanding of a multi-ethnic country and national policies.The process of watching movies conveys criticism towards the old society,gratitude towards the Communist Party of China and the longing for the new China.Movie-watching feedback demonstrates how ethnic minority people are oriented towards unity and active participation in nation-building efforts.The practice of constructing national identity through ethnic minority-themed films during the "17 years" period represents an attempt to maintain diversity and integration within national identity using ideological mechanisms,concepts such as harmonious coexistence among Chinese ethnic groups,and Marxist ethnic theory.However,it is also necessary to consider how to incorporate class discourse and public discourse into discussions on identity construction;how to replace class cohesion among all ethnic groups with a discourse centered around the Chinese nation in this new era;as well as considerations regarding constructing a national image identity and other related issues.This paper examines the construction of national identity in ethnic minority-themed films during the "17 years" from a perspective of political practice.Its main academic contributions are as follows: Firstly,while existing research on national identity primarily focuses on theoretical analysis,empirical research and practical logic regarding the construction of contemporary Chinese national identity remain insufficiently explored.This study is significant in addressing this gap.Secondly,as an interdisciplinary topic,the study of national identity requires multidisciplinary intervention and participation.Overall,there is a need to enhance the involvement of political scholars in researching national identity.Most existing studies tend to examine the country as a whole,neglecting its complex system composed of various actors.A key contribution of this study lies in challenging simplistic understandings of nationhood and providing valuable insights for deepening and refining current research efforts.Thirdly,existing empirical research on national identity predominantly focuses on its construction within China without sufficient historical depth.Therefore,this study holds important academic significance by expanding our understanding through historical perspectives. |
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