Acknowledgments

This book marks the culmination of years of conceptualization, research, fieldwork, drafting, editing, and tinkering. So many people have been integral to its production. I am grateful to all of them.

None of this research would have been possible without the funding I received from the Fulbright program and the Institute of International Education. In particular, I am thankful to Anita X. Chan and Serena Bing Han from the Beijing Fulbright office for their assistance in the field. Likewise, I am grateful for the funding awarded by the University of Oklahoma’s Mergler Fellowship program, which helped support me as I wrote early drafts.

In China, I enjoyed support from sponsors and colleagues at institutions in all of my field sites. I am grateful to Minzu University in Beijing for sponsoring me while in the field. In particular, I owe thanks to Ding Hong for sponsoring me and generously introducing me to local points of contact at various field sites around the country. Additionally, many people gave me assistance at field sites. I am incredibly grateful to Rebecca Fa, Xing Fei, Alvin Gao, Ma Lai’en, Ma Lianjun, Ma Qian, Wei Wei, and Yang Yang for helping me find my feet, meet contacts, find housing, scope out interesting sites, find the best eats, and all the other small things that allowed me to not only survive but thrive while in the field.

I was fortunate to share my time in the field with a cohort of brilliant peers. Thank you to Fiona Cunningham, Liz Emrich-Rouge, Minerva Inwald, Yining Lin, James McGlone, Matt Sheehan, Samantha Vortherms, and the members of the Provincial Cuisine Club of Beijing for your friendship and companionship. My year in the field was one of the greatest adventures of my life. Thank you all for being part of it. I owe special thanks to Jesse Watson and David Porter, whose visits during my time in Jinan, Yinchuan, and Xining helped me see familiar places through fresh eyes and provided me with stimulating conversation and memories I’ll cherish for a lifetime.

As this project was drafted, and redrafted, many people gave moral and emotional support in the form of food, drink, texts, phone calls, hangouts, and other expressions of solidarity and friendship. Thank you especially to Chris Anderson, Victoria Bautista, Tyler and Krystal Camarillo, Angela Chuang, Dave Conway, Chris Elford, Andrew Foglia, Steve Foglia, Keith Gaddie, Zeke and Emily Goggin, Tyler Hughes, Tammy Kreznar, Periloux Peay, Jason Pudlo, J. D. Rackey, Justin and Ruth Burr Reedy, Aaron Robinson, Rebecca Roe, Scott Saldaña, Jamie Smith, Tao Wang, and Edgar Zamora.

A number of people provided insight and clarification in the writing process. For sharing their knowledge and opinions at various stages in the process, I thank Elena Barabantseva, Ana Bracic, Daniel P. Brown, Alex Dukalskis, Timothy Grose, Guangtian Ha, Ellie Knott, Ma Chengjun, Ma Jianfu, Niu Xuan, Jesko Schmoller, and Jo Smith-Finley. Thank you to Eve McGlynn for her fantastic work on illustrating this manuscript’s maps. To Isabelle Côté, I am grateful for kind and encouraging comments on an early draft. At the University of Washington Press, I am incredibly grateful to Stevan Harrell and Lorri Hagman. Steve’s comments on an early draft made the work sharper and more focused, while Lorri’s editing in the final stages made the work leaner and more efficient. All along the way, their positive reinforcement has driven me forward.

A few colleagues deserve extra special thanks. I am grateful to Eric Schluessel for his willingness to offer knowledge of history, linguistics, and the ins and outs of the publication process. I owe so much of my understanding of the history of the development of Hui identity to Hannah Theaker, whose meticulous attention to detail has made my work immeasurably better. Likewise, working alongside David Tobin in Manchester has made my work stronger. I thank him for our numerous conversations on contemporary Chinese politics, political theory, and weekly thrills of the top-flight leagues of European football.

Throughout my academic career I’ve had the privilege of working with brilliant mentors who have imparted so much wisdom to me. I thank Shelley Rigger for helping me cultivate an interest in China and learn the basics of Chinese politics. I thank Lu Yuan for teaching me invaluable lessons about China’s ethnic diversity. I thank Peter Gries for helping me learn to find a writing voice and speak to a larger audience. I thank Paul Goode for helping me to conceptualize my work, making me consider its larger implications, and teaching me by his own example how to do impactful research through collaboration.

Finally, I must thank my family, who have given me immeasurable love and support throughout this process. Thank you to my sister, Caroline, my brother-in-law, Mike, and my niece, Ellie, for your love and encouragement. To my mom and dad, Kandy and Daniel: there is not enough space to thank you for everything you have done for me. From my very earliest days, you have always encouraged me to do my best, to aim as high as I possibly can, and to seize the chance for adventures that come my way. More than that, you gave me fine examples of how to love and be dedicated to your work and to others. I cannot express how grateful I am to you.

Lastly, I must thank the people of Beijing, Jinan, Yinchuan, and Xining. Without your compassion, your warmth, patience, and openness, this project would never have succeeded. It is my hope that I have held up my part of the deal and have been able to tell all of your stories.