PhD defence Xiaokun Jiang: Salafism in China

On Tuesday 10 June, Xiaokun Jiang will defend his PhD dissertation ‘Salafism in China and Chinese Salafis in Contemporary China and Malaysia’. In his dissertation, Jiang examines the development of Salafism (a branch of Sunni Islam) in China and Malaysia.

Salafism in China and Malaysia

In recent decades, Salafism has become a major focus in global discussions about Islam, but the experience of Chinese Salafis has been largely overlooked. Jiang sheds light on Salafism’s development in China and Malaysia, offering a new perspective on the global Salafi movement.

Jiang traces how Chinese Muslims encountered Salafism in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, initially through reformist networks, and later through closer ties with Saudi Arabia. After the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), Salafism revived among Chinese Muslims, forming distinct communities that seek to return to the practices of Islam’s earliest generations.

Global Salafi network and Chinese context

Based on extensive fieldwork and analysis of religious texts, Jiang maps the spread of Salafi beliefs across China and examines how Chinese Salafis balance loyalty to their faith with the realities of living under a secular, often restrictive state. He also explores the diverse theological and social attitudes within Chinese Salafism.

By situating Chinese Salafis within both the global Salafi network and the unique Chinese context, Jiang’s research fills a gap in the study of contemporary Islam. It offers a nuanced, historically grounded, and richly detailed picture of a religious movement often misunderstood outside its heartlands.