Multiculturalism and ethnic minorities in china

Multiculturalism and Ethnic Minorities in China Name of the Student Institutional Affiliation Course Code and Course Name Professor Date of Submission Multiculturalism and Ethnic Minorities in China 1.0 Introduction Currently, China recognizes fifty-five ethnic minorities, representing about 110 million of China's total population and having a unique cultural heritage. These minorities experience difficulties in maintaining distinct cultural identities amidst the prevailing Han culture, which dominates more than ninety percent of the population. Preparatory programs in higher education directly impact the cultural orientation and persistence of ethnic minority students. When interacting with the educational process, minority students experience a complex hybridity due to their cultural background and the need to adapt to the dominant culture. This paper explores the effects of the current policies of higher education on the cultural identities of ethnic minorities in China while arguing that despite the historical fact that these policies are multicultural, they tend to incline assimilation and limit the protection of diversity in China. 1.1 Overview of Higher Education Policies and Preparatory Programs Policies of higher education in China have been changing over time, especially about ethnic minorities or in times of crisis. The government has introduced various measures to ensure these groups have an equal chance of accessing higher education, including the introduction of preparatory programs. These programs are aimed at helping minority students overcome the language barrier between their first language and Mandarin, which is used widely as the medium of instruction (Clothey, 2005). Most preparatory programs promote academic skills and cultural pride among students in both languages. However, there is also an issue concerning what extent these programs foster multiculturalism rather than embrace Han culture. As they serve as assistive educational tools, the format and composition of these programs might even contribute to the suppression of ethnic minorities' culture, forcing them into assimilation into the dominant norms. 1.2 Research Topic and Problem Statement This research paper aims to explore the effects of multiculturalism on ethnic minorities in China by analyzing the social policies concerning higher education with an emphasis on preparatory programs and their relation to cultural assimilation and maintenance of ethnic minorities. The central issue raised here pertains to the conflict between celebrating multiculturalism and the threat of homogenization to the dominant Han identity. In this context, the current paper examines the life stories of ethnic minority learners within the given educational frameworks, exploring how contemporary policies support the construction of cultural subjectivity and whether they enhance meaningful multicultural interactions or impose assimilation to dominant cultural paradigms. 1.3 Purpose of the Study This investigation aims to critically review research on the societal and cultural acculturation of ethnic minorities in China by focusing on preparatory programs within higher education policies. Thus, the study's results on minority students' experiences will reveal the impact of these conceptual frameworks on cultural assimilation and sustainability. Furthermore, it aims to find out the effects of such policies on the perception of multiculturalism in Chinese society and, in turn, how ethnic minorities understand their existence and strive to embrace their identities as they enter a system that seems to encourage conformity and assimilation in education. 2.0 Literature Review 2.1 Theoretical Framework on Multiculturalism and Assimilation Cultural assimilation and multiculturalism provide a general context for how societies can manage cultural diversity. Multiculturalism is accepting cultural diversity in societies by recognizing and including policies encouraging different ethnic groups to be part of society. This perspective supports the acculturation process, in which cultural minority groups retain their cultures while becoming accepted members of society (Clothey, 2005). On the other hand, assimilation theory focuses on minorities adopting the dominant group's attitudes, values, and behavior to create harmony and bolster the economy; this often results in assimilation outcomes in which minority group members give up their original customs and embrace that of the dominant majority. Among the scholars who paid attention to these processes and the conflict between, on one side, culture preservation and, on the other side, assimilation forces, we can mention Will Kymlicka and Pierre Bourdieu (Doytcheva, 2020). An understanding of these theoretical frameworks helps evaluate the impact of higher education policies on ethnic minorities in China, as these paradigms support ethnic identification in a multicultural context 2.2 Previous Studies on Educational Policies Affecting Ethnic Minorities There has been considerable research done on the effects of education policies for ethnic minorities, both facilitating and impeding equal participation and preserving minority culture. Several studies have demonstrated that integration policies that aim at improving the educational enfranchisement of minorities by providing affirmative action, bilingual instruction, and the like in higher education have not successfully eradicated the problems associated with cultural loss and identity diminution. For instance, the work of Zhang and Archer (2023) explains how, in practice, bilingual education is advantageous yet is commonly characterized by a process in which Mandarin takes precedence, slowly eradicating minority cultures. Also, studies on preparatory programs have suggested that while implemented as programs meant to assist minority students, these practices may only perpetuate dominant cultural biases, thus reducing ethnic diversity (Clothey, 2005). Cumulatively, these studies suggest that any attempts to enhance educational opportunity and equity must acknowledge how education policies in China both open doors to and threaten to undermine the cultural existence of ethnic minorities. 2.3 Historical Context of Minority Education in China Politics can be described as one of the central pillars that have influenced the education of minorities in China throughout its historical period. In the wake of the People's Republic of China being formed in 1949, the Chinese government implemented several policies to foster a united Chinese nation and absorb ethnic minorities into the socialist Chinese state (Hannum, 1999). Initially, this involved the call for the right to bilingual education and forming separate schools to accommodate minority learners. However, with the start of the Cultural Revolution in 1966, minority education was again marred by difficulties as the government sought to reduce ethnic differences in exchange for a unified Chinese nationality. Education reforms were initiated in the 1980s when the Chinese government realized the necessity of removing educational disparities in minority areas and introduced preferential policies for minority education (Hannum, 1999). Nonetheless, problems persist, such as high drop-out rates and low literacy levels, which point to continuing struggles over ethnicity as the process of acculturation goes forward in a conflict with the dominant Han civilization. 3.0 Effects on Identity and Culture 3.1 Influence of Preparatory Programs on Cultural Heritage Most preparatory programs significantly impact the overall development of ethnic minority students in China since they link them and the universities they join. They are meant to prepare students academically and may focus on Mandarin skills, which may work against multicultural values by celebrating the mainstream culture at the expense of culturally diverse people. Although these programs are ostensibly about promoting education, they also risk the assimilation of culture as students experience the pressure to be more like other people in society (Clothey, 2005). The studies also show that minority students are immersed in a struggle between assimilating to the majority culture and the culture of the group to which they belong. This duality can lead to cultural conflict, forcing students to abandon their ethnic selves for academic achievement (Chen et al., 2023). Therefore, the impact of preparatory programs on cultural heritage is likely positive. Still, it accentuates the fact that there should be harmony when it comes to the achievement of education standards and the protection of cultural resources. 3.2...