Positive Influence of Campus Ethnic Dance Activities on Forging of a Strong Sense of Community for the Chinese Nation

JOURNAL OF ETHNOLOGY， VOL. 15， NO.03， 19-27， 2024 （CN51-1731/C， in Chinese）

DOI：10.3969/j.issn.1674-9391.2024.03.003

Abstract：

Ethnic dance in Minzu colleges and universities has demonstrated to play a significant role in education， promoting both ethnic cultural exchange and integration， as well as forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation. Taking the campus ethnic dance of a Minzu university in Southwest China as its research object while employing targeted sampling and snowball methods， this paper conducted in-depth interviews with college students of Tibetan， Yi， Uyghur， Kazak， Tujia， Miao， Han， and other ethnic backgrounds that have been participating in the campus ethnic dance activities. It attempts to explore the exchanges and communication among students of diverse ethnicities during said dance events. Starting from the two dimensions of campus ethnic dance practice and cultural identity， this study takes the theory of functionalism as the research perspective. It investigates how participation in these dances may improve interpersonal skills， facilitate the sharing of different ethnic cultural symbols， and promote both ethnic identity and the broader Chinese national identity.

Results show that campus ethnic dance activities serve two main functions： Firstly， they can promote college students’ interpersonal skills by having provided a platform for interpersonal communication， having reduced interpersonal barriers， expanded the opportunities for interpersonal communication， and eliminated potential gaps in interpersonal communication. Secondly， campus folk dance activities have been able to foster cultural integration and mutual embedding. Cultural embedding not only has the potential to preserve and pass on high traditional culture of ethnic minorities but also to carry forward and develop high traditional Chinese culture. The research additionally finds that campus ethnic dance can promote cultural and psychological integration， encourage cognitive consensus， facilitate the mutual influence of cultural structures， emphasize emotional sharing， and promote the mutual embedding of cultural concepts while emphasizing common values. Finally， the campus ethnic dance activities have demonstrated to affect positively the forging of a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation. The key to fostering the sense of community for the Chinese nation has been the cultivation of identity. Findings show that communication of students of various ethnic backgrounds in the campus ethnic dance has been able to enhance their ethnic identity， while their mutual interaction has enabled the enhancement of the broader Chinese national identity， and this integration has been able to enhance the identity of the Chinese national community.

In short， campus ethnic dance in Minzu colleges and universities has transcended the mere expression of ethnic cultural identity， by serving as a conduit and bridge for inter-ethnic communication and integration. This transformative role has significantly contributed to the personal growth and development of college students of all ethnic groups. Through the campus ethnic dance activities， students recognize their shared attributes， thereby laying a foundation for the construction of the common spiritual home of the Chinese nation， and for consolidating the common consciousness of the Chinese nation. Therefore， it is deemed necessary to point out the direction for the application of campus ethnic dance in the construction of campus culture， and leverage its full potential to promote the university education of consolidating a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation.

Key Words：

ethnic dances on campus; sense of community for the Chinese nation; positive role