Sammendrag
Hui 回 is among the 10 officially recognized Islamic minzu 民族 (ethnic group; nationality) of China. To a difference from much previous work done on the Hui, this research project does not presume Hui as an ethnic group. Instead, issues considered by the target group to be of concern are analyzed. ' The goal of this research is to attain better understanding of how migrant Hui identity has developed into that in present day Hangzhou. It is a case study exploring Hui ethnic, religious and regional identities from the perspective of social organization. The findings of this project are mainly based on more than 50 semi-structured interviews with the Islamic minzus of Hui, Salar, Dongxiang, Bao an, Uighurs, as well as the Han majority group of China. ' The main indication is that Hui ethnicity is currently dormant in Hangzhou. While my interviewees may speak of themselves as Hui, this has not served to become a foundation for what Benedict Anderson terms as deep, horizontal comradeship. (Anderson, 1983/2006, p. 7). Instead, religion and regional identities appear to be more important factors of social organization. Islamic identity is usually more predominant in cases related to interaction with Han and the secular society it represents. Regional identities are typically more predominant in cases related to interaction among Muslims. The case of Hui in Hangzhou differs from the situation of Hui in locations such as Balong (Hillman, 2004) and Quanzhou (Fan, 2003/2009). Research indicates that Hui identity in these locations may be termed as ethnic from a circumstantialist perspective. The limited importance of Hangzhou Hui ethnicity in social organization does therefore not exclude an ethnic revival should circumstances change. This is why I have termed the situation of Hui in Hangzhou as dormant.