| National identity,as the key element of modern nation-state,is a basic political issue faced by multi-ethnic countries.At present,China is faced with a more complicated and unstable surroundings and international relations.How to strengthen the internal stability and build a strong Chinese national community featuring diverse cultures,integrated identity,and an open inclusive society are more urgent.Sport,especially mega-sports events,as rational tools of the construction of national identity among countries in the era of globalization,is an increasingly crucial field to achieve nation-building,political socialization,and to maintain international relations.From the perspective of the social practice in China,National Minority Games in the People’s Republic of China(hereinafter National Minority Games),as representation of indigenous sports event,is one of China’s public spheres fulfilled with political system,multi-cultures and representatives of all the ethnic minorities(ethnic elites).It is also as a multi-ethnic state governance level of microscopic practice and an organic composition of Chinese national multi-culture.With the help of mass media,it has a practical significance of the construction of Chinese national identity(at internal level).This qualitative research focuses on China’s National Minority Games.It has applied research methods,including historical data and archives,participatory observation,expert interview,semi-structure interview and text analysis,and builds a theoretical framework which combines theories with national identity,symbolic interaction,interactive ritual chains and so forth.In a narrative framework of national identity construction,this paper tries to answer three key research questions: the dynamic relationship between National Minority Games and construction of Chinese national identity in different historical periods,the internal logical structure of the relevant factors of the operation of National Minority Games to promote national identity,and value of National Minority Games to promote national identity.The main conclusions are as follows:Firstly,this research clearly concludes four historical periods of National Minority Games through its key factors and periodical characteristics(including ceremonies and rituals,cultural symbols,and media reports)in different social context.It includes: 1)Participation in the construction of political identity of the People’s Republic of China:the beginning of National Minority Games(1953);2)Construction of national identity with unity and stability as the central feature: the reconstruction and initial rise of National Minority Games(1982-1991);3)Construction of national identity in a multi-dimensional integrated structure of solid foundation: the accelerated evolution and transformation of the Games(1995-2011);4)Strengthening the sense of Chinese national community: comprehensively deepening the reform of the Games in the new era(2015-2019).National Minority Games is a large-scale sports event as well as an important ethnic affair.In different international,political and domestic situations,National Minority Games have diverse periodical characteristics and have produced a constant dual-effectiveness in the process of constructing Chinese national identity.Secondly,it then conducts a critical analysis on the implicit logical structure of National Minority Games from a synchronic perspective.It analyzes the key elements of the Games,including the evolution of symbols and rituals,the choice of host dates and cities,the setting of sports events,the organizing structures,and their functions to promote the construction of national political legitimacy as well as historical and cultural community.To be specific,they have been embodied in the following areas: 1)Through firmly organized ceremonies,iterative Chinese national symbols,tactic arrangement of the host cities and schedules,and governance efforts of maintaining the reunification of the motherland at the Games(such as Taiwan Delegation’s attendance constantly),National Minority Games have been given functions such as discipline-shaping,building a unified consolidated political identity and political legitimacy of all ethnic compatriots as well as the concept of citizenship.2)With the transformation of National Minority Games,such as the sports events,the organizing committees and the cultural symbols;on the one hand,the Games have hooked and carried the Chinese national historical and cultural memories,and have shown a strong collective emotional memory of the same root,origin and the same gene.On the other hand,the Games have been seeking the greatest common divisor of the Chinese nation and have got a significant status in forging the sense of the Chinese nation community among all the ethnic groups in China.Thirdly,based on both the historical analysis and synchronic exploration,this research builds a theoretic model on National Minority Games as interaction rituals in terms of Collins’ theory of Interaction Ritual Chains.It tries to interpret the uniqueness and insightful values of National Minority Games in the course of the continual building of Chinese national identity.That is to say,as a value object,National Minority Games’ value orientation for the value subject(the Chinese nation-state)in the Chinese national identity-building process.The core values of National Minority Games have been identified in three perspectives: 1)The political value: promoting ethnic unity,reflecting the presence of the Chinese state,consolidating Chinese political ideology,leading core values and strengthening the feelings of patriotism.2)The cultural value:inheriting historical memory,shaping the national platform for multi-cultural interaction,fostering collective symbols,persisting traditional sports culture as well as carrying forward Chinese cultural confidence.3)the social value: maintaining unity and stability,promoting shared prosperity and progress,boosting sustainable innovations,advocating harmony and peace,and inherently responding to China’s mainstream social orientations.In conclusion,this thesis has conducted a social-historical study on National Minority Games in China(1953-2019)and helps us to better understand the transformations and great changes of Chinese society,and clarify the relationships between National Minority Games and Chinese national identity-building process,as well as the uniqueness and insightful values of the Games.Since the founding of the PRC,National Minority Games,as a national invention and a representative interaction ritual,have produced a constant dual-effectiveness,as a sports event and also an ethnic affair.The historical evolution of National Minority Games has witnessed the development of the Chinese national community(as a modern nation-state)in many perspectives: from the early days of struggling to the new image opening-up to the rest of the world;from the policy of ‘all ethnic groups in China are treated equally’ to ‘strengthening the sense of Chinese national community’ in the new era,the key concept of China’s ethnic policy has never changed.It always insists on promoting national equality,ethnic unity and common prosperity of all ethnic groups,and also consolidating and strengthening the sense of integrated Chinese nation community with diversified culture,and constantly pursuing the Chinese nation’s rejuvenation.Despite of that,from the lens of China’s National Minority Games,it partly uncovers how sport is closely linked to national identity,as well as how large-scale ethnic sports events with Chinese characteristics play a critical role in enhancing political centripetal force,cultural integration and ethnic cohesion in modern nation-state building process. |
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