• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.75-92
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• 2002

The aim of this article is to critically review the PRC's policies related to its minority nationalities with a special emphasis on the identification of minority nationalities(minzuzhibie) and the establishment of minority nationality autonomous regions(minzuzizhiquyu), as a part of national integration Process. In that Process, the intentional application of the criteria on nationality identification, the establishment of minority nationality autonomous regions, the population redistribution policies and the gerrymandering by the government played an important role in the deconstruction of traditional basis of identities and the territorialization of ethnicity. The goals of government have been the redefinition of 'Chinese', the the invention of 'Chinese nationality(zhongguominzu or zhonghuaminzu)'and the unification of its national territory. However, these have led to the unexpected result by creating the new ethnic-territorial identities along with the nationalities identified and the territories defined by the government.