Terrorism with Chinese characteristics

Abstract

This paper attempts to ground the recent upsurge of terrorist violence in China within the literature of terrorism. China has until now liberally applied the label of terrorism to a wide range of political violence. For the first time, however, it now has an objective problem with terrorism. This paper sets out firstly to explain the nature of these attacks and to situate them in the current literature on terrorism, and secondly it proposes that these attacks represent a new phenomenon: that of networked terrorism with Chinese characteristics. This paper therefore proposes a novel argument in relation to the signaling nature of terrorism; rather than trying to influence a wider population, it is argued that Uighurs are more interested in signaling to fellow extremists, or those who are pliable to such influence. They are no longer trying to win over the Han majority.

Keywords:

• terrorism
• China
• Xinjiang
• Uighurs
• definition

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Barclay Bram Shoemaker

Barclay Bram Shoemaker has completed an MSci in International Relations and Global Issues at the University of Nottingham and is currently a Generation UK British Council scholar studying Mandarin at Fudan University in Shanghai.