Rachel Harris is Senior Lecturer in Ethnomusicology at SOAS, University of London, specializing in music in China and Central Asia. She has published widely on the politics of Uyghur expressive culture. Her research interests include global flows, identity politics, Islam and soundscapes, and she currently leads the U.K. government-affiliated Arts and Humanities Research Council network Sounding Islam in China. She is actively engaged with outreach projects relating to Central Asian and Chinese music, including recordings, musical performance, and consultancy.
Last Updated: May 23, 2018
Conversation
06.04.18
How Should the World Respond to Intensifying Repression in Xinjiang?
Deliberate, systematic human rights abuses are happening in China’s northwest. Reporting and research published in recent weeks shows that the Chinese government is targeting the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region’s roughly 11 million Muslims for “re...
Conversation
02.13.14
Are Ethnic Tensions on the Rise in China?
On December 31, President Xi Jinping appeared on CCTV and extended his “New Year’s wishes to Chinese of all ethnic groups.” On January 15, Beijing officials detained Ilham Tohti, a leading Uighur economist and subsequently accused him of “separtist...