Becoming Zhongguo, Becoming Han : Tracing and Reconceptualizing Ethnicity in Ancient North China, 770 BC - AD 581

Abstract

My thesis explores the nature of ethnic identity in the core region of north China during a period of 1,351 years from the beginning of Eastern Zhou (770-256 BC) to the end of the Northern Dynasties (AD 399-581), these being periods commonly perceived as starting in a state of ethnic diversity and conflict, and ending with a population that was close to homogeneous in sharing a 'Huaxia', 'Hua', or 'Han' ethnic identity. The key question of this thesis is whether the conventional analytical framework of progressive ethnic assimilation of minority/'barbarian' peoples by a distinct 'Huaxia'/'Hua'/'Han' ethnic group is supported by a thorough examination of the evidence. My argument, developed through a critical study of the use of ethnonyms in ancient north China, is that the ethnic assimilation framework is untenable in its present form.