The Ansari Institute and the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies co-sponsored a Sept. 14 flash panel examining the mass internment of members of the Muslim Uyghur ethnicity in China’s Xinjiang province.
The oppression of the Uyghurs continues to attract global attention and concern. Adding to the complexity is the opinion that world leaders such as President Trump are focusing on the atrocities for political gain instead of humanitarian interests.
Building on established facts, panelists introduced and examined historical and cultural perspectives related to the Xinjiang region, the Uyghur people, and Beijing’s actions.
Mahan Mirza, executive director of the Ansari Institute and a Liu Institute faculty fellow, moderated the discussion, which featured panelists Perin Gürel, associate professor of American Studies at Notre Dame; Rachel Harris, professor of ethnomusicology at SOAS University of London; and James Millward, professor of inter-societal history at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service.