Yan Sun is Professor in the Department in Political Science at Queens College and at the Graduate Centre, The City University of New York.

• Introduction: What is Destabilizing about China's Ethnic Regions?; 1. Changing Approaches to Identity: From Maintenance to Transformation; 2. Changing Approaches to Ethnic Governance: From Loose Rein to Ethno-territorial Units; 3. Changing Approaches to Policy Instruments: From Elite Cooptation to Egalitarian Strategies; 4. The Rise of Identity Politics in Post-Mao China; 5. Ethnic Autonomy and Its Discontents; 6. Religious Revival and Its Discontents; 7. Economic Modernization and Its Discontents; 8. Educational Expansion and Its Discontents; Conclusion: From Empire to Nation State: Lessons and Reforms.

'Yan Sun draws on an unparalleled wealth of research to explain how Chinese policymakers and experts struggled in Xinjiang and Tibet, often choosing options that only worsened their problems. She deftly analyzes how official policies resulted in today's horrific conditions. The most important aspect of this may be Sun's efforts to persuade China toward reform. The prospect of using scholarship to forge a bridge with China is a worthy endeavor. An indispensable source for students and policy-makers alike, this book is likely to have a major impact on our understanding of the evolution of ethnic policies in China.' Gilbert Rozman, Princeton University