Legal Pluralism and the Tajik Experience of Xinjiang : Between Custom and the Chinese State: An Ethnographic Perspective

At the remote crossroads of Central Asia, the Tajiks of Tashkurgan navigate life as a small minority at the cultural and political margins of China. Legal Pluralism and the Tajik experience of Xinjiang explores how this community sustains internal order and cultural identity under the pressures of a powerful, top-down state.

At the remote crossroads of Central Asia, the Tajiks of Tashkurgan navigate life as a small minority at the cultural and political margins of China. Legal Pluralism and the Tajik Experience of Xinjiang explores how this community sustains internal order and cultural identity under the pressures of a powerful, top-down state. Drawing on rich ethnographic fieldwork (2010–2011) and the author’s insights as a former state prosecutor in Xinjiang, the book examines how disputes are managed through a mix of formal law and informal mechanisms rooted in Tajik values and traditions. Central to this system is a “harmony ideology”, a cultural commitment to avoiding open conflict. While this fosters stability and autonomy, it also reproduces internal inequalities along lines of gender, age, and hierarchy. Through compelling case studies, the author highlights the complex interplay between state law, local norms, and the micropolitics of everyday life. It is a vivid study of identity, morality, and resilience at the geo-cultural margins of an authoritarian state.