Nasreddin Efendi (Afanti) in the Chinese media: A state instrument for coping with the Uyghur issue

This thesis looks into the question of how Nasreddin Hodja is used in the Chinese media under the Chinese name "Afanti" as a state instrument for coping with the Uyghur issue. In answering this question, Afanti animated films that have been produced and broadcasted in China since the foundation of the People's Republic of China are taken into consideration. These animated films are Afanti de Gushi 阿凡提的故事 (The Story of Afanti), Shaonian Afanti 少年阿凡提 (The Young Afanti), Laoxiao Afanti 老小阿凡提 (The Old and the Little Afanti), Afanti Xinzhuan 阿凡提新传 (Legend of Afanti), and Afanti Zhi Qiyuan Lixian 阿凡提之奇缘历险 (The Adventure of Afanti). Through an analysis of the Chinese state's minority policies and a comparison with the related animated films, it is seen that Afanti figure has been constructed as a state tool to handle the Xinjiang issue, to rebuild a state-sanctioned Xinjiang image, to integrate Xinjiang into China, and to position Xinjiang under Chinese hegemony with an oriental approach. This repositioning is intended both for the Uyghur and the Han audience. Through this usage, the state-constructed Afanti image is also promoted as a state-approved Uyghur ethnic role model for the Uyghurs. Through these animated films, a shared modernity, secularity, and Han-Uyghur integration is also aimed.