The Other Within Stigmatization and Marginalization of Hui Muslims in the Novel Musilin de Zangli (Muslim Funeral)

Authors

• Flávio Fraga da Silva, School of Arts and Humanities, University of LisbonFollow

Abstract

This article offers a case study of the protagonist of the novel Musilin de zangli by Huo Da, as a representation of the stigmatization and marginalization of the Hui Muslim community in Beijing in the early 1960s. Drawing on this portrayal, the novel’s subliminal and allegorical dimensions, and an examination of the mechanisms of “domestic othering” operative in Maoist China, the study discusses how the text advances a veiled critique of the abuses and excesses experienced by this community in the period leading up to, and including, the Cultural Revolution. By situating the text within its broader sociocultural and historical context, as well as through the use of thematic analysis, close reading, and allegoresis, this paper sheds light on a facet that has, up to the present, remained unexplored in academic research.

Recommended Citation

Fraga da Silva, Flávio (2026) "The Other Within Stigmatization and Marginalization of Hui Muslims in the Novel Musilin de Zangli (Muslim Funeral)," Perspectives in the Arts and Humanities Asia: Vol. 16: No. 1, Article 2.
Available at: https://archium.ateneo.edu/paha/vol16/iss1/2