Introduction - nation, ethnic, region, and religion as markers of identity, William Safran; state discourses , minority policies and the politics of identity in the Lijang Naxi People's autonomous county, Sydney D. White; Hans-Muslim and intra-Muslim social relations in north-western China, Colin Mackerras; language education, intellectuals, and symbolic representation - being an urban Mongolian in a new configuration of social evolution, Naran Bilik; the texture of tongues - languages and power in China, Arienne M. Dwyer; preferential policies for ethnic minorities in China - the case of Xingjiang, Barry Sautman; ethnic identity change in the People's Republic of China - an explanation using data from the 1982 and 1990 census enumeration, Matthew Hoddie; unforgiven and remembered - the impact of ethnic conflicts in everyday Muslim-Han social relations on Hainan Island, Keng-Fong Pang; patriotic villains and patriotic heroes - Chinese literary nationalism in the 1990s, Yingjie Guo. Notes on contributors.