A Study On Cultural Changes Of The Torghut Mongolian Society In Ejina Banner

Cultural changes have been becoming the important issues of the related academic studies in China and overseas.Facing the tide of the modernization and urbanization after the government of PRC introduced its Reform-Opening policy,cultural changes continuously happen elsewhere in the social transformation of China,with an ever accelerated speed.In those regions inhabited densely by ethnic minorities,for instance in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region,residents have unavoidably involved into the changes.Concerning about cultural adaptation,the subjective choices of the ethnic minorities to maintain a kind of balance in the interactions between local traditions and modernity contribute both to promoting the sustainable development of local minority societies and constructing a united Chinese Nation.This dissertation takes Ejina Banner in Alashan League,the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region as a field work site,investigating the development and changes ongoing in the Torghut Mongolians inhabiting in the Ejina area.As an ethnological research,this study applies synthetically field investigation and historical records on the Torghut residents of Ejina Banner.This dissertation tries to use the thick-description,a methodological idea invented by Clifford Geertz,for analyzing those changes happening in local tribal organizations,livelihood,marriages,family structures,customs,and ethnic medicine in the Torghut residents of Ejina Banner.Also,the dissertation makes efforts to verify the impetus mechanism of the cultural changes,at the purpose of grasping the rule of the cultural changes in the Torghut Mongolians of Ejina Banner.The cultural traditions of the Torghut Mongolians in Ejina Banner originated from the nomadism of the ancient Mongolian tribes.In the earlier history of the Torghut Mongolians,their social organizations were constructed upon “Thirteen-Families”,which provided socio-cultural bases for the development of the Torghut Mongolians in Ejina Banner until nowadays.The cultural changes have happened in local Mongolians can be observed mainly as: the military function of tribal organizations faded,with the function of animal husbandry productions retained;the unitary animal husbandry livelihood changed to the present multiple livelihood based on the animal husbandry;the modern values and cultural pluralism have increasingly been playing an important role in the domain of marriages and family constructions;the Mongolian dietary traditions remain in some extent but diversifications appear as well;the rites of passage remain in some parts with lot of others adapted to recent social realities;the freedom of the personal choices in religious beliefs become possible;the Mongolian traditional medicine comes to coexist with the modern medical system etc.All of the above phenomena provide with us effective clues to observe clearly the cultural changes in the Torghut Mongolians in Ejina Banner.It’s clear that those changes are endowed with progressive,phrased and multilayered characters.And a synthetic dynamism actually works there.Fundamental forces from the institutional reforms at the national level provide with a greater impetus;the social transformation especially the modernity is also an important factor;and eventually the self-awareness of local Mongolian is a necessary force.However,the radical impetus of the changes and adaptation come from the cultural selfconsciousness of local Mongolians who wanted to change.By viewing the overall picture of the cultural changes happening in the Torghut Mongolian society in Ejina Banner,we could response to those related theoretical considerations about the mechanism and impetus of the cultural changes.First of all,the phrased and multi-layered characters of the cultural changes are observed in the Torghut Mongolian society of Ejina Banner,which reflect the generalized characters concerning cultural changes by the related academic studies through demonstrating a particularity local case.Secondly,the impetus of the cultural changes in the Torghut Mongolian society of Ejina Banner comes from endogenous and exogenous interactions between local ethnic groups and the state’s administration.Finally,the endogenetic forces as the critical factors are supposed to be emphasized,the demands of local ethnic groups as the protagonists support the development of local societies.