Research on the Ethnic Relationship and Ethnic Culture Changes in the West of the Tibetan–Yi Corridor

Abstract

As the first inter-disciplinary study of ethnic relationship and cultural changes in the westernmost section of the Tibetan-Yi Corridor, this book brings together a broad range of analyses from the anthropological, historical, and frontier studies perspectives. The author builds on a synthesis of Fei Xiaotong’s Tibetan-Yi corridor theory and Wang Mingming’s cultural theory and to present a rich historical narrative of the dynamic interactions among the Lisu, Nu, Dulong, Naxi, Bai, Tibetan and Pumi ethnic groups in this region from the Tang Dynasty to the Republic of China period. In addition to a vast body of existing literature, the study also draws on extensive fieldwork. Its findings not only enhance our knowledge of the historical development of particular ethnic groups in a specific region but also have implications for how we should understand the development of the Chinese nation as a whole.