Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Governing Uyghurs in Xinjiang through State-Driven Dual Discourses from Foucault’s Perspective: Interplay of “Counterterrorism” and Tourism-Development Discourses

Zhang, Xuezhi LU (2026) SIMZ21 20251
Graduate School
Abstract
This thesis interrogates how the state-led “counterterrorism” and tourism-development discourses operate as complementary technologies of the state’s governance in Xinjiang. Drawing on Foucault’s power/knowledge and biopolitics theory, it examines how these discourses produce the “truth” of Xinjiang and the Uyghurs, and how these “truths” jointly operate in facilitating the state’s governance against the Uyghurs. By employing critical discourse analysis, this study analyzes state-produced policy documents, reports, news, documentaries and other official materials from 2014 onwards. Findings reveal that “counterterrorism” and tourism development discourses construct seemingly contradictory representations of Xinjiang, the Uyghur culture and... (More)
This thesis interrogates how the state-led “counterterrorism” and tourism-development discourses operate as complementary technologies of the state’s governance in Xinjiang. Drawing on Foucault’s power/knowledge and biopolitics theory, it examines how these discourses produce the “truth” of Xinjiang and the Uyghurs, and how these “truths” jointly operate in facilitating the state’s governance against the Uyghurs. By employing critical discourse analysis, this study analyzes state-produced policy documents, reports, news, documentaries and other official materials from 2014 onwards. Findings reveal that “counterterrorism” and tourism development discourses construct seemingly contradictory representations of Xinjiang, the Uyghur culture and ethnic relations, but in practice operate complementarily in enabling the state’s exercise of disciplinary power and biopolitical regulation against the Uyghurs. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Zhang, Xuezhi LU
supervisor
organization
course
SIMZ21 20251
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Critical Discourse Analysis, Power/knowledge, Discipline, Biopolitics, Uyghur, “Counterterrorism”, Tourism-development
language
English
id
9220779
date added to LUP
2026-01-30 09:29:38
date last changed
2026-01-30 09:29:39
@misc{9220779,
  abstract     = {{This thesis interrogates how the state-led “counterterrorism” and tourism-development discourses operate as complementary technologies of the state’s governance in Xinjiang. Drawing on Foucault’s power/knowledge and biopolitics theory, it examines how these discourses produce the “truth” of Xinjiang and the Uyghurs, and how these “truths” jointly operate in facilitating the state’s governance against the Uyghurs. By employing critical discourse analysis, this study analyzes state-produced policy documents, reports, news, documentaries and other official materials from 2014 onwards. Findings reveal that “counterterrorism” and tourism development discourses construct seemingly contradictory representations of Xinjiang, the Uyghur culture and ethnic relations, but in practice operate complementarily in enabling the state’s exercise of disciplinary power and biopolitical regulation against the Uyghurs.}},
  author       = {{Zhang, Xuezhi}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Governing Uyghurs in Xinjiang through State-Driven Dual Discourses from Foucault’s Perspective: Interplay of “Counterterrorism” and Tourism-Development Discourses}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}