Labour transfers of Uyghurs as a method of ‘civilising’ ethnic minorities, and online 'offers' of Uyghur workers
Svec, J. (2022). Labour transfers as a means of ‘civilizing’ and forcibly assimilating ethnic minorities in western China. Central Asian Survey, 41(3), 385–401. https://doi.org/10.1080/02634937.2022.2054950. Pre-peer-review version (different from the published one): https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4140926.
Main argument:
Labour transfers of Uyghurs and other minorities function as a tool of forced assimilation and a modernised form of colonial ‘civilising mission’ by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Methodology:
Analysis of Chinese official documents and media, and around 80 unofficial online posts 'offering' Uyghur labourers for transfer.
Summary:
Labour transfers of Uyghurs have taken place at least since the 2000s under poverty alleviation campaigns, but intensified after 2014 following the accelerated repressive policies.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) frames labour transfers of Uyghurs in ways reminiscent of ‘civilising missions’ in historical colonial projects. They are presented as ‘modernising’, liberating women, promoting hygiene, and reducing the ‘backward’ thinking of ethnic minorities.
Transfers of Uyghurs from Xinjiang to Han-dominated regions of China are portrayed as particularly beneficial for their assimilation.
At least 80 posts on Chinese forums 'offered' Uyghur labourers for transfers outside Xinjiang, totalling tens of thousands of workers advertised online in 2020 alone.
These posts were likely published by labour dispatch companies under government guidance. They emphasised Uyghur workers’ supposed obedience, discipline, and inability to leave their jobs, while also including discriminatory criteria based on gender and age.
Besides rural labourers, vocational school students were included. Posts also advertised Hui, Yi, and even North Korean workers.
Takeaways:
Organized labour transfers are not limited to surplus Uyghur labourers, but also extend to students and even to other ethnic minorities outside Xinjiang.
The reliance on online advertisements suggests that Xinjiang authorities and intermediaries encountered difficulties in finding factories in other provinces willing to accept Uyghur workers.
Online advertisements confirm the coercive nature of these transfers, involving cadres and police, and semi-military management on site.
The censorship of specific keywords and the introduction of stricter online recruitment regulations following 2020 suggests that authorities realised these posts were inadvertently leaking details of the transfer and pokusily se jim zamezit, samotná praxe se ale nezměnila.