中国・少数民族伝統体育運動会にみるアイデンティティの諸相

抄録

The People's Republic of China, which is a multiethnic country, considers policies focusing on ethnic minorities to be an imprtant national issue. The present study was designed to examine the identity of ethnic minorities by focusing on national meets involving traditional athletic sports among such ethnic minorities as one aspect of national policy. The 1st and 7th National Meets of Athletic Sports for Ethnic Minorities were held respectively in 1953 and in 2003, during which a change from modern sports to ethnic sports was recognized with respect to the sporting events emphasized. Subsequently, a change from those ethnic sports to post-ethnic sports was recognized. The participation of members of minority groups in these National Meets appeals to their ethnic identity, leading to the creation of a pan-ethnic minority identity. Since in addition to ethnic minorities, the Han race also participates in the National Meets, the Meets function as a cultural mechanism by which the Pan-ethnic minority identity is replaced by the Chinese ethnic identity, thus equating the Chinese ethnic identity with the official national identity. The representation of culture at the National Meets has been changing from a state in which “ethnic minorities represent different cultures” to one in which “ethnic minorities represent their own cultures.” These facts suggest that ethnic sports in China contribute to political and ethnic integration, whereby ethnic sports are useful for affirming ethnic identities that are manifested at various intensity levels, and that ethnic sports serve as a medium whereby changes in identity can take place.