Inter-ethnic relations in Mongolia and Inner Mongolia1

Abstract

The article deals with the development of minority policies in Mongolia since independence from China, and focuses on the effects that these policies have had on inter-ethnic relations. The main groups studied are the Khalkha Mongols, the Kazakhs, the Tuvans and the Han Chinese. The definitions of these groups as either ündesten or yastan have also varied over time, which has created theoretically interesting complexities. The article contains a sociolinguistic study of the inter-ethnic relations, with particular emphasis on education, culture, media and publishing. Furthermore, the tendency of the Tuvans to identify ethnically with the Mongols rather than with the Kazakhs is analyzed from the point of view of a sub-minority–majority identification theory. In Inner Mongolia, the inter-ethnic relations are problematic, and there are also severe tensions between the Mongols of Inner Mongolia and those of Mongolia. These ethnic policies have also played an important role in the development of the inter-state relations between Mongolia and the People's Republic of China.