Description
The book “Natural Resources and the New Frontier” by Judd Kinzley explores the infrastructural and material basis for state power in Xinjiang, arguing that its role in producing natural resources for regional powers fueled unrest. Kinzley’s detailed archival work offers a new way of viewing Xinjiang and borders as sites of “layered” state formation.
Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 18 May 2018
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press
Since the 1990s, China’s westernmost province of Xinjiang has been plagued by escalating violence, cycles of inter-ethnic strife, and state repression. While much research has focused on ethnic clashes and political disputes, historian Judd Kinzley takes a different approach in his book “Natural Resources and the New Frontier.” Kinzley argues that Xinjiang’s role in producing various natural resources for regional powers played a significant, but often overlooked, factor in fueling unrest. He meticulously traces the buildup to this unstable situation over the course of the twentieth century by examining shifts in mining and industrial production policies undertaken by Chinese, Soviet, and provincial officials.
Through his detailed archival work, Kinzley offers a fresh perspective on Xinjiang that will reshape the conversation about this important region. Moreover, his detailed analysis provides a new framework for understanding borders as sites of “layered” state formation, which can be applied to understanding the development of other Chinese peripheries and frontier zones across the Global South.
Kinzley’s book is a valuable contribution to the study of Xinjiang and its complex history. By examining the role of natural resources in shaping political tensions, he sheds light on the complex dynamics that have contributed to the region’s unrest. His approach offers a valuable model for understanding the development of other frontier zones and peripheries in the Global South.
Weight: 346g
Dimension: 153 x 227 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780226492292
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