A Study on Ethnic Identity Status and Its Contextual Factors among College Students of Bai Nationality in Yunnan

Abstract

This study investigated the status of Bai college students’ ethnic identity and examined the contextual factors which influence the formation of this Bai ethnic identity. A questionnaire which consists of the Multigroup Ethic Identity Measure (MEIM) and Contextual Factors (CF) was administered to 260 college students of Bai nationality from five universities in Yunnan Province. A stepwise regression analysis reveals that four contextual factors influence the formation of this Bai ethnic identity: subjects’ place of residence, family, language proficiency, subjects’ opinions and attitudes towards Bai and Han people and Bai and Han culture. Findings show that both male and female Bai college students are in the status of ethnic identity commitment, which means subjects are in high identification with Bai nationality. Gender difference is not so significant in the formation of Bai college students’ ethnic identity. This identification contributes to the maintenance and transmission of Bai ethnic culture without the help of a written system of Bai language.