Paper abstract:

This paper focuses on the role of locally developed institutions during the revolts that broke out in Ili valley of today’s Xinjiang in the 1860s. As a result of the revolts, Taranchis, the local Turkic speaking Muslims, overthrew the Qing Empire’s rule in Ili valley and founded a Muslim state. These revolts have been studied through the lens of religion, peasant rebellions, national resistance, foreign policy and international politics. When studied, these revolts are often seen as part of the larger political upheavals that swayed the Qing Empire and Xinjiang in the late 19th century. In my paper, I focus more on the local developments while recognizing the influence of broader contexts. I argue that the revolts in Ili valley were shaped greatly by the locally developed institutions during the Qing Empire’s rule of the region. In Ili, administrative, economic and Islamic institutions that developed during the Qing Empire’s rule provided different groups mechanisms to work and live together. At the same time, these same institutions also effectively maintained the boundaries between different groups. The Qing Empire's rule of the culturally diverse region benefited much from these institutions. During the revolts, these institutions played crucial roles. Local actors, especially the leaders of the revolts, used some institutions to cross the group boundaries to seek alliance, they also used the same institutions to strengthen the hostility towards other groups when it was needed. This paper is based on locally produced sources, including several works produced by Taranchis and one work written by a local Sibe not long after the revolts in Ili. In addition, my paper also makes use of published materials in English, Chinese, Uyghur, and Russian languages.