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MOSQUE ARCHITECTURE AND IDENTITY: A STUDY OF THE AUTOCHTHONOUS MOSQUE IN CHINA

Date Added

20/07/2022

Content Type

Dissertation

Category

Masters

Link to Content

Link/Download

Subject Area

Mosques

Author

Yutong Ma

Publisher Name

Yutong Ma

Year of Publication

2020


Description


In this thesis, I argue against a common conception in the ongoing trend of mosquebuilding in southeastern China in the 21st century. Many Hui Muslims and architects in this region refuse to consider historical mosque architecture built in traditional Chinese architectural style as their cultural references in constructing new mosques, as they believe that the traditional Chinese architectural language is insufficient to express their identity as Muslims. Instead, they prefer a collection of symbolic architectural elements to be used in mosque architecture loosely termed as the “Arabic” style. In response to this misconception, I argue that a Chinese type of mosque architecture, exemplified by the Great Mosque of Xi’an, has formed as early as in the late 15th century; it is rooted in the historical process in which a unique Chinese Muslim identity – Hui – was formed. It is this Chinese type of mosque architecture, not the imagined set of exotic “Arabic” mosque style, which manifests the cultural identity of Hui Muslims in southeastern China.


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English

Yutong Ma

Washington University in St. Louis

2021

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