A. Basic Information

1. Survey title and Sponsors
Cultural Diversity and Identity of Ethnic Groups in West China and Beyond:
How to Protect Oral Traditions Along the Silk Roads
Sponsors: Unesco and Bureau of International Cooperation and Exchange (BICE), CASS

2. Expected starting date
September 2003

3. Duration
Three (3) Months

4. Domain(s) or discipline(s) concerned
Cultural diversity and Identity with dimension of oral tradition is related to multiple domains, such as verbal arts, ways of speaking, indigenous languages, oral genre, cultural expression, and folklore. The disciplines concerned are all fields covered by UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity by the General Conference at its 31st session (31 C/Resolution 25 and Annexes I and II).

5. Name of host institution
Institute of Ethnic Literature (IEL)
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS)

6. Governing body
Bureau of International Cooperation and Exchange (BICE), CASS
Supervisors: Li Wei & Zhou Yunfan

7. Research divisions concerned
Research Division of Northern Ethnic Literature, IEL
Network & Digital Studio, IEL

8. Project leader/contact person (name with full contact address/telephone/fax/e-mail)
Chao Gejin, Ph.D., Professor
Deputy Director-General
Institute of Ethnic Literature (IEL)
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS)

B. Project Description

1. Type of project:
IEL Survey [X]
UNESCO Chair [X ]
UNESCO Chair and Survey [ ]
Other (if this is the case, define) [IEL as undertaker]
The Chair will initiate and pilot the present survey; the undertaker will project and carry out methodological training, investigative demonstrations, an expert meeting, and the on-the-spot survey in the promotion of cultural diversity of China ethnic groups along the Silk Road and beyond in response to the multi-cultural realities of a globalized/localized region and in accordance with Unesco Action Plan. The Chair will be the focal point of the final publication of the survey's result in the end of 2003, and to be extended as a UNESCO/IEL sharing resource on common ground of promoting cultural diversity.

2. Domain(s) or discipline(s) with ethnographic background
The multiple domains are the UNESCO priorities: cultural diversity, identity, pluralism, oral tradition, and local knowledge of the different ethnic groups along the Silk Road in and out of China, as well as other fields that are basic elements for the sustainable development of world cultures in globalization.
Ethnographic background and projective points of view:

Focusing on ethnic groups along the Silk Road with a perspective of the surrounding countries in Central Asia where reciprocal influences have played an important role, the survey will bring to light elements which illustrate the concept of "cultural diversity and plural identity", which emerged during the former Integral Study of the Silk Roads: Roads of Dialogue project.

Oral traditions in the region embrace distinct local styles, product of the geography and complex history of the Silk Road, whose ethnic communities, separated by mountains and deserts, have been subject through the course of history. Each of ethnic groups has been maintaining their own distinctive sound and repertoire, but they are linked by common languages and overarching cultures, maintained by constant communication through trade and movement of peoples. Cultural diversity there is much to link these local traditions, in terms of registers, genres, styles and contexts.

In an environment of rapid modernization and globalization, one aspect of the cultural conflicts is the deconstruction, decline, and disappearance of a wide variety of ethnic verbal arts, including epic, oratory, verbal dueling, myth, epos, legend, folktale, ballad, lament, sacred song, proverbs, as well as many kinds of indigenous genres. Most of ethnic groups that have been struggling to maintain their own languages, oral traditions, and ways of expression as their identity have experienced the greatest crush on cultural assimilation and traditional preservation
The survey aims to highlight the realities of cultural diversity, pluralism and common heritage in the region from both historical and modern perspectives in order to promote intercultural co-operation as well as inter-religious and intercultural dialogue among ethnic groups of the region and their immediate neighbors.

3. General and specific objectives
1) General:
The striking fact about cultural diversity of ethnic groups inhabiting along the Silk Road is that there are so many of intangible culture taking shape of oral traditions, indigenous oral genres, ways of speaking, or cultural expression still alive, often almost unknown and undocumented, and most of them certainly in danger of extinction. In the promotion of the multiform cultures and diverse heritages emerged from the current contexts of China Developing West Campaign and the processes of world's globalization, we intend to launch a practical survey with a key expert meeting that will be reinforced and actualized by scholars and institutions in partnerships of knowledge.

To provide advice and expertise to assist further academic research in all levels and for policy-making of national and regional governments, in:

• establishing an interregional coalition of promoting cultural diversity in various institutions and organizations, and facilitating links between/among them;
• helping local communities and ethnic groups to understand cultural diversity and unique peculiarity along the road for the international discourses between/among different cultures and languages;
• developing methods and formats of annual survey of cultural diversity in cross-region inhabiting various ethnic groups and communities for accumulating more and more cases in a sustainable developing system of observation, research, and protection;
• facilitating the definition, identification, conservation, preservation, dissemination, protection, and promotion of intangible cultural heritage from diversity to pluralism along the Silk Road, and making good use of interregional and international resources on studies of oral traditions.

2) Specific:
Bridging the discourse on how to protect cultural diversity by developing survey actions in academic practices in the following aspects:

• To serve as a means of facilitating collaboration between inter-regionally recognized institutions and researchers of the intangible cultural heritage with the IEL;
• To configure ethnographic methodology, filed interview, questionnaire, folklore record, research report, archiving research, and recommendation service among participating institutions and scholars via currently available IEL website;
• To hold a mini-workshop at IEL and a key expert meeting (taking form of a special panel at Shihezi Conference on Spet. 29~30) to locate how to pursue the goals of this survey and what will we expect from the survey and etc.;
• To conduct a general survey with cases of feasibility study for pave ways to understand the current situation of intangible cultural heritage in danger of disappearing or in the conjuncture of extinction among ethnic groups of this region (e.g., high, secondary and elementary crisis, etc.) by devoting 5~7 case studies to some representative ethnic communities to be surveyed;
• To learn lessons from the past/present survey experience and to raise voices jointly for the future projects of advancing interregional/international cooperation on the same purpose along the North and South Silk Roads in China and beyond;
  
• To finalize an analytical report with survey results, including statistic data, field records, situated reports, living images and so forth.

4. Type of activity:
Mini-workshop of training [ X ]
Key expert meeting [ X ]
Field investigation [ X ]
Archiving research [ X ]
Interregional cooperation [ X ]
(including strengthening of partnerships of knowledge, information services, laboratorial bases of field study, etc.)
This survey will then aim at:

1) To define and complete the investigation and estimation,
2) To configure strategy of protecting cultural diversity,
3) To produce action plan of deploying channels to promote cultural diversity,
4) To plan academic support and executive structure, and
5) To plan the development of cultural multiform in contexts, etc.

5. Proposed schedule of activities
Expected duration of the project
This would be a specific project. The survey would be performed on an individual-collective basis, 1) IEL scholars have built up their well-effected field-connections to local communities and academic societies. 2) IEL scholars with qualified language competence have known pretty well about local bearers of oral traditions, such as epic singers, storytellers, ritualists, and known about how to track back to local knowledge, cultural space, ways of speaking, and so forth. The reputation of Unesco and IEL-CASS with a widespread publication and influence would provide considerable motivation for the surveyed objects to respond. Thus the credibility would be quite high.
The proposed survey should be substantive to carry out in a short-tem of three months. Here is a basic action agenda of what we will have achieved:

1) Sep. 23~ 24: holding a mini-workshop on methodological training at IEL, and deliver a manual guideline to expected participants living out of Beijing.
2) Sep. 26~ 30: holding an expert meeting in Urumch and a special panel at Shihezi Conference on discussing issues confronting
3) Oct. 1~15: conducting field investigations into the current situation of promoting cultural diversity in Xinjiang region primarily.
4) Oct. 20~30: conducting archiving researches in all levels of libraries, museums, institutions, and organizations.
5) Nov.1~15: completing 5~7 case studies with reports in details.
6) Nov.15~30: completing the final survey report.
7) Dec 1~15: checking and accepting the final survey report by Unesco, and getting to in print by IEL.

6. Expected outcome / deliverables of the survey

1) A general report with survey results would be delivered to Unesco and to BICE of CASS in the end of 2003, containing a complete summary of all the ethnic cultures surveyed. The final text with accurate data and images would be presented in a useful format, as recommended by the Unesco.
2) The resulting data and analyses could be used among national and international institutions and scholars for determining baseline practices; and by non-profit organizations in the region or local communities.
3) The proposal team will also formulate specific procedures and full estimates focused on major ethnic groups of this region to locate the growing divide between information-rich and information-poor populations and communities for governmental cultural policy-making as realizing "in danger and in extinction for protection " along the Silk Road.
4) IEL would get ready access to continue such practices and be able to make meaningful recommendations about additional resources that its database could supply.

7. Target beneficiaries:

Students [ X ]
Academics [ X ]
Professionals [ X ]
Governmental agencies [ X ] Cultural Ministry Council of China
Other (specify) [X ] Libraries and local communities
Based upon above targets, the survey results will be in function of the following subjects:

1) to highlight important issues on cultural diversity;
2) to increase participant's knowledge and influence negative attitudes;
3) to celebrate diversity in partnership of production of knowledge;
4) to provide informative speakers, consultants, informants;
5) to recreate visually and acoustically the different aspects of diversity;
6) to capture and promote integration of institutions and local indigenous communities;
7) to promote IEL role in encouraging cultural diversity and harmony.

8. Other relevant information (if applicable)
The majority of the population is of mixed Turkish-Altaic descent. Uyghurs are the largest ethnic group along the Silk Road. Mongols, Kirghiz, Kazaks, Uzbeks, and Tartars are other strongly represented ethnic groups along the Silk Road. Fifty percent of the population is Muslim beside Mongols. Different varieties of old Turkish and Altaic are spoken. The Han are very much in the minority, making up less than 10% of the population in the Xinjiang region.
The event will bring together about 15 key experts working on ethnic cultures and oral traditions of Turkish-Mongolian language branches; the survey will also collate data from 5 correlated institutions who carried out regional surveys with practical solutions for the implementation of nationwide investigation in the 1960s and in the 1980s, which focusing on general situation of folk literature and arts across regional boundaries.

C. Partnerships

1. Proposed management and governance structure (including names of key individuals involved):
The regional institutions and universities of Xinjiang have been the primary point of contact, with considerable interaction among the other members (sub-regional institutions). Such interactions include drafting the survey questions (actually a preliminary mini-survey and a longer more-detailed one distributed to those who complete the mini-survey). All parties could recommend analyses that could be performed on the resulting data, if desired. Such work would require negotiation among the Chair, the undertaker, and the parties below. All parties would contribute to the interim (Nov.) and final report (Dec.).

2. Participating institutions

Institute of Ethnic Literature, CASS
Xinjiang Association of Folk Artists
Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences (XJASS)
Xinjiang University
Xinjiang Normal University

3. Key experts:

1) Dr. Prof. Chao Gejin, IEL, CASS, Oirat epic tradition & final survey report
2) Prof. Lang Ying, IEL, CASS. Turkish oral narratives & Kirghiz epic tradition
3) Dr.Huang Zhongxiang, IEL, CASS, endangered languages in Altaic Language Family
4) Ass. Prof. Reyihan, IEL, CASS. Uyghur traditional songs
5) Dr. Gereltu, Xinjiang Association of Folk Artists, Mongolian epic tradition
6) Prof. Bikesultan, Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences, Kazak folk narratives
7) Ass. Prof. Tuohan, Xinjiang Association of Folk Artists, Kirghiz oral traditions
8) Prof. Yasin Mukhpul, Xinjiang Arts Research University, Uyghur Music and Narrative songs
9) Prof. Liu Bin Xinjiang Association of Folk Artists, regional survey
10) Prof. Dr. Dimrat Omir, Xinjiang Normal University, Turkish Shamanistic songs
11) Bahtyar, Xinjiang Association of Folk Artists, Uyghur Dastan genre
12) Dr. Asait, Xinjiang University, Uyghur Mashrap
13) Ass. Prof. Adili Zhumaturdi, Xinjiang Association of Folk Artists, Kirghiz epic singers
14) Lecturer Ren Chunsheng, IEL, CASS. Photographer and digital technician
15) Dr. Bamo Qubumo, IEL, CASS. Final survey report

D. Brief Deduction

The Silk Road has long been a showcase of cultural diversity, a bridge of cross-cultural communication. The time has come for China to call on other regions and countries to develop a new interregional/international cultural instrument that would acknowledge the importance of cultural diversity and address the cultural policies designed to promote and protect that diversity. This survey would be regarded as continuity to the UNESCO project on the Integral Study of the Silk Roads: Roads of Dialogue (1990~1999). Such a move will enrich us all.