Accelerating the Disciplinary Construction of the Study of the Chinese National Community

Forging a sense of community for the Chinese nation and advancing the building of the Chinese national community are inevitable requirements for comprehensively advancing the building of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization. Cultivating and developing the discipline of the study of the Chinese national community means serving the construction of an independent knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences by providing theoretical supply from the source of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics, thereby providing a solid theoretical foundation and strong academic support for promoting high-quality development of the Party’s work on ethnic affairs in the New Era. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that forging a sense of community for the Chinese nation requires constructing a scientific and complete theoretical system of the Chinese national community. This points the way forward and provides fundamental guidance for us to accelerate the disciplinary construction of the study of the Chinese national community.

铸牢中华民族共同体意识，推进中华民族共同体建设，是以中国式现代化全面推进强国建设、民族复兴伟业的必然要求。培育发展中华民族共同体学学科，就是要以中国特色哲学社会科学的源头理论供给，服务构建中国哲学社会科学自主知识体系，为推动新时代党的民族工作高质量发展提供坚实理论基础和强劲学术支撑。习近平总书记强调，铸牢中华民族共同体意识，需要构建科学完备的中华民族共同体理论体系。这为我们加快推进中华民族共同体学学科建设指明了前进方向，提供了根本遵循。

The contemporary significance of accelerating the disciplinary construction of the study of the Chinese national community. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “The Chinese nation has its own unique history; to analyze the history of the Chinese nation, one cannot mechanically apply Western theories of ethnicity.” [1]1 Xi Jinping, speech at the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, October 2020. Today, the Chinese nation has achieved a great leap from standing up and growing prosperous to becoming strong, and the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has entered an irreversible historical process. Promoting the disciplinary construction of the study of the Chinese national community must be based on the major historical juncture of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, accelerate the construction of China’s independent system of historical materials, discourse system, and theoretical system for the Chinese national community, and provide comprehensive support in theoretical guidance, practical countermeasures, and talent supply for advancing the building of the Chinese national community, effectively responding to complex international situations and effectively preventing and defusing major risks and hidden dangers.

加快推进中华民族共同体学学科建设的时代意蕴。习近平总书记指出：“中华民族有自身独特的历史，解析中华民族的历史，就不能套用西方那一套民族理论。”今天，中华民族迎来了从站起来、富起来到强起来的伟大飞跃，实现中华民族伟大复兴进入了不可逆转的历史进程。推进中华民族共同体学学科建设必须立足中华民族伟大复兴这一重大历史方位，加快构建中国自主的中华民族共同体史料体系、话语体系、理论体系，为推进中华民族共同体建设提供理论指导、实践对策、人才供给等全方位支持，有效应对国际复杂局面和有效防范化解重大风险隐患。

Xi Jinping Thought on Culture and General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important thought on strengthening and improving work on ethnic affairs provide solid theoretical support and a clear action guide for accelerating the disciplinary construction of the study of the Chinese national community. Establishing the study of the Chinese national community means basing it on the historical juncture and great practice of the Party’s work on ethnic affairs in the New Era, profoundly elucidating General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important thought on strengthening and improving work on ethnic affairs, directly confronting the problems and challenges existing in the ethnic field, and providing academic and theoretical support from different dimensions such as politics, economy, culture, society, and history for serving and promoting high-quality development of the Party’s work on ethnic affairs in the New Era. Promoting the disciplinary construction of the study of the Chinese national community helps refute erroneous understandings in Western ethnic theories and discourse systems. For example, the West slanders China internationally under the pretext of so-called ethnic issues, and erroneous historical views such as the “conquest dynasty theory,” “Inner Asian history perspective,” and “New Qing history perspective” [2]2 “Conquest dynasty theory” (征服王朝论) is a historiographical framework originating from Western scholarship that views certain Chinese dynasties founded by non-Han ethnic groups (e.g., Yuan, Qing) primarily as conquest regimes rather than integral parts of Chinese civilization. “Inner Asian history perspective” (内亚史观) emphasizes the Inner Asian origins and characteristics of these dynasties, often downplaying their Sinicization. “New Qing history perspective” (新清史观) is a recent Western scholarly trend that reinterprets the Qing dynasty as a multi-ethnic empire with strong Inner Asian features, challenging the traditional Chinese narrative of its seamless integration into Chinese history. interfere with the historical process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Therefore, separately establishing the study of the Chinese national community and deepening research on major fundamental issues of the Chinese national community will help enrich the socialist ethnic theory with Chinese characteristics, fundamentally solve the problem in China’s ethnological research of being dominated by Western ethnic theories and discourse systems, and grasp the laws of development of Chinese civilization, the unified multi-ethnic state, and the Chinese national community from the height of the Chinese national community.

习近平文化思想和习近平总书记关于加强和改进民族工作的重要思想，为加快推进中华民族共同体学学科建设提供了坚实的理论支撑和明确的行动指南。设立中华民族共同体学，就是要立足新时代民族工作的历史方位与伟大实践，深刻阐释习近平总书记关于加强和改进民族工作的重要思想，直面民族领域存在的问题与挑战，从政治、经济、文化、社会、历史等不同维度，为服务推进新时代党的民族工作高质量发展提供学理支撑和理论支撑。推进中华民族共同体学学科建设有助于驳斥西方民族理论思想和话语体系的错误认识。如西方借所谓民族议题在国际上抹黑中国，“征服王朝论”“内亚史观”“新清史观”等错误史观干扰中华民族伟大复兴的历史进程。因此，单独设置中华民族共同体学，深化中华民族共同体重大基础性问题研究，有助于丰富中国特色社会主义民族理论，从根本上解决我国民族学研究中存在的被西方民族理论思想和话语体系所左右的问题，从中华民族共同体的高度掌握中华文明、统一多民族国家和中华民族的发展规律。

Action effectiveness in accelerating the disciplinary construction of the study of the Chinese national community. Relevant central departments have guided universities to solidly promote the comprehensive integration of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important thought on strengthening and improving work on ethnic affairs into disciplinary construction, especially breaking through the knowledge limitations of a single discipline, comprehensively applying theories and methods from multiple disciplines such as Marxist theory, philosophy, history, ethnology, and sociology, concentrating efforts on the construction of the theoretical system of the Chinese national community, and opening up new prospects in theoretical research, education and teaching, and talent cultivation.

加快推进中华民族共同体学学科建设的行动成效。中央有关部门指导高校扎实推进习近平总书记关于加强和改进民族工作的重要思想全面融入学科建设，特别是突破单一学科知识局限，综合运用马克思主义理论、哲学、历史学、民族学、社会学等多学科理论、方法，聚力中华民族共同体理论体系建设，在理论研究、教育教学、人才培养等方面打开了新局面。

The Party Central Committee attaches great importance to theoretical research on the study of the Chinese national community, has issued a series of important instructions and directives around accelerating the construction of a scientific and complete theoretical system of the Chinese national community, and has driven the disciplinary construction of the study of the Chinese national community to achieve remarkable results at a high level. Since the 14th Five-Year Plan, the Party and the state have included *The History of Interactions, Exchanges, and Integration among the Chinese Nation* and *The General History of the Chinese Nation* in major national cultural projects, and organized provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions to compile *A Compilation of Historical Materials on Interactions, Exchanges, and Integration among the Chinese Nation*. The United Front Work Department of the Central Committee, the Publicity Department of the Central Committee, the Ministry of Education, and the National Ethnic Affairs Commission jointly issued the *Opinions on Strengthening the Construction of the Theoretical Research System for Forging a Sense of Community for the Chinese Nation*, approved the establishment of 28 research bases for forging a sense of community for the Chinese nation, and approved Minzu University of China to launch the journal *Research on the Chinese National Community*. A number of pilot units for the interdisciplinary discipline of the study of the Chinese national community have been established, achieving an overall layout of the study of the Chinese national community in terms of region, type, and research direction. The construction of a curriculum system for the study of the Chinese national community has been promoted, and *An Introduction to the Chinese National Community* has been compiled, with provinces and municipalities incorporating *An Introduction to the Chinese National Community* into the ideological and political education teaching system for universities, middle schools, and primary schools.

党中央高度重视中华民族共同体学理论研究工作，围绕加快建成科学完备的中华民族共同体理论体系作出了一系列重要指示批示，高位推动中华民族共同体学学科建设取得显著成效。“十四五”以来，党和国家将《中华民族交往交流交融史》《中华民族通史》纳入国家重大文化工程，组织各省、市、自治区编纂了《中华民族交往交流交融史料汇编》。中央统战部、中央宣传部、教育部、国家民委共同印发了《关于加强铸牢中华民族共同体意识理论研究体系建设的意见》，批准建设28家铸牢中华民族共同体意识研究基地，批准中央民族大学创办《中华民族共同体研究》期刊。建成一批中华民族共同体学交叉学科试点单位，实现了中华民族共同体学在区域、类型和研究方向上的整体布局。推进中华民族共同体学课程体系建设，组织编写了《中华民族共同体概论》，各省市将《中华民族共同体概论》纳入大中小学思政课教学体系。

Key links in accelerating the disciplinary construction of the study of the Chinese national community. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, “We must optimize disciplinary settings, strengthen disciplinary construction, keep the research direction accurate, and deepen research on major fundamental issues of the Chinese national community,” and “accelerate the formation of China’s independent system of historical materials, discourse system, and theoretical system for the Chinese national community.” By accelerating the construction of the study of the Chinese national community, through the cross-integration of multiple disciplines, we can refine China’s independent and distinctive academic concepts, proactively set academic topics, and cultivate original theoretical achievements that are based on Chinese history, interpret Chinese practice, and answer Chinese questions.

加快推进中华民族共同体学学科建设的关键环节。习近平总书记强调，“要优化学科设置，加强学科建设，把准研究方向，深化中华民族共同体重大基础性问题研究”，“加快形成中国自主的中华民族共同体史料体系、话语体系、理论体系”。通过加快建设中华民族共同体学，多种学科交叉融合，提炼出中国自主的标识性学术概念，主动设置学术议题，培育立足中国历史、解读中国实践、回答中国问题的原创性理论成果。

Accelerate the construction of China’s independent system of historical materials for the Chinese national community. The system of historical materials for the Chinese national community is the source and foundational project for constructing the discourse system and theoretical system of the Chinese national community, and it helps reveal the principles, academic logic, and philosophy of the formation and development of the Chinese nation. It is necessary to establish a correct historical view of the Chinese nation, accurately grasp the “family assets” of the unified multi-ethnic state and the “family history” of the formation and development of the Chinese nation, and through the compilation of *The General History of the Chinese Nation* and *The History of Interactions, Exchanges, and Integration among the Chinese Nation*, comprehensively and systematically excavate and organize historical materials from the height of the Chinese national community, sort out and analyze the important ideas, systems, and practices in the formation and development of the Chinese national community, condense the historical logic and theoretical logic of China’s independent development of the Chinese nation, maintain ideological security in the ethnic field, and prevent the erosion of the sense of community for the Chinese nation by historical nihilism, cultural nihilism, narrow nationalism, and the like.

加快构建中国自主的中华民族共同体史料体系。中华民族共同体史料体系是中华民族共同体话语体系和理论体系构建的源头活水和基础工程，有助于揭示中华民族形成和发展的道理、学理、哲理。必须树立正确的中华民族历史观，准确把握统一多民族国家的“家底”和中华民族形成发展的“家史”，通过中华民族通史、中华民族交往交流交融史的编纂，从中华民族共同体的高度全面系统挖掘整理史料，梳理分析中华民族共同体形成与发展的重要思想、制度和实践，凝练出中国自主的中华民族发展的历史逻辑和理论逻辑，维护民族领域意识形态安全，防范历史虚无主义、文化虚无主义、狭隘民族主义等对中华民族共同体意识的消解。

Accelerate the construction of the discourse system for the Chinese national community. The discourse system for the Chinese national community is the overall narrative of the theoretical development of the Chinese national community and the practical experience of building the Chinese national community, and it is an expression system of the sense of identity and belonging of people of all ethnic groups to the Chinese national community. It is necessary to further strengthen research on the historical logic, background of emergence, and requirements of the times for the generation of discourse on the Chinese national community; further deepen research on political discourse, theoretical discourse, and everyday discourse concerning the Chinese national community; and further enrich research on discourse forms, discourse media, discourse connotations, and the effectiveness of the narrative of the Chinese national community.

加快构建中华民族共同体话语体系。中华民族共同体话语体系是中华民族共同体理论发展和中华民族共同体建设实践经验的总体叙事，是各族人民对中华民族共同体的认同感、归属感的表达体系。要进一步加大中华民族共同体话语生成的历史逻辑、发生背景、时代要求研究；进一步深化对中华民族共同体的政治话语、理论话语、生活话语等的研究；进一步丰富话语形式、话语媒介、话语内涵及其中华民族共同体叙事成效研究。

Accelerate the construction of the theoretical system for the Chinese national community. The theoretical system for the Chinese national community is the knowledge form of the historical logic and theoretical logic of the formation and development of the Chinese nation, and it is the theoretical crystallization of the ideological and practical achievements in advancing the building of the Chinese national community. It is necessary to take the lead in constructing a basic conceptual system of nation, the Chinese nation, and the Chinese national community; clarify the important categories and propositions such as the Chinese nation and Chinese civilization, the building of the Chinese national community and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and the new form of human civilization; and define the theoretical connotations and logical relationships of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important thought on strengthening and improving work on ethnic affairs, the ancient Chinese “great unity” thought, Marxist theory of community, and the correct path for solving ethnic issues with Chinese characteristics.

加快构建中华民族共同体理论体系。中华民族共同体理论体系是中华民族形成与发展的历史逻辑和理论逻辑的知识形态，是推进中华民族共同体建设的思想和实践成就的理论结晶。要率先构建民族、中华民族、中华民族共同体等基本概念体系；厘清中华民族与中华文明、中华民族共同体建设与中华民族伟大复兴、人类文明新形态等重要范畴与命题；明确习近平总书记关于加强和改进民族工作的重要思想、中国古代“大一统”思想、马克思主义共同体理论、中国特色解决民族问题的正确道路等的理论内涵和逻辑关系。

Institutional guarantees for accelerating the disciplinary construction of the study of the Chinese national community. The disciplinary construction of the study of the Chinese national community is a systematic project that requires the establishment of a well-structured and efficiently operating institutional mechanism as a guarantee. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Focus on stimulating the initiative, enthusiasm, and creativity of experts and scholars, strengthen the cultivation of young experts and scholars, guide them in the right direction, build platforms for them, create opportunities for them, encourage them to devote themselves to research, accumulate steadily, and produce original theoretical achievements that are based on Chinese history, interpret Chinese practice, and answer Chinese questions.”

加快推进中华民族共同体学学科建设的制度保障。中华民族共同体学学科建设是一项系统工程，需要建立结构合理、运转高效的体制机制作为保障。习近平总书记指出：“注重激发广大专家学者的积极性主动性创造性，加强青年专家学者的培养，为他们把好方向、搭建平台、创造机会，鼓励他们潜心钻研、厚积薄发，推出立足中国历史、解读中国实践、回答中国问题的原创性理论成果。”

It is necessary to strengthen the leadership system and mechanism for the disciplinary construction of the study of the Chinese national community, and to uphold the New Era pattern of ethnic work in which the Party committees exercise unified leadership, the government administers according to law, the united front departments take the lead in coordination, the ethnic work departments fulfill their duties and responsibilities, all departments cooperate fully, and the whole society participates jointly. We must explore the construction of institutional systems such as political guidance and organizational guarantees, and further improve the working mechanism. We must improve the mechanism for disciplinary construction and scientific research, encourage multiple disciplines to participate jointly in the study of the Chinese national community, and construct a curriculum system, textbook system, and journal system that adapt to the accelerated development of the study of the Chinese national community; around major strategies for the construction of the Chinese national community, such as the construction of the shared spiritual home of the Chinese nation, we must establish academic organizations and academic teams; we must improve the mechanisms for domestic and international academic exchange of academic research results, the mechanisms for publication, evaluation and assessment, and the evaluation mechanism for think tank construction.

必须加强中华民族共同体学学科建设领导体制机制，坚持党委统一领导、政府依法管理、统战部门牵头协调、民族工作部门履职尽责、各部门通力合作、全社会共同参与的新时代民族工作格局。探索构建政治引领、组织保障等制度体系，进一步完善工作机制。完善学科建设与科学研究机制，鼓励多学科共同参与中华民族共同体学研究，构建适应中华民族共同体学加速发展的课程体系、教材体系、期刊体系；围绕中华民族共有精神家园建设等中华民族共同体建设重大战略，组建学术组织、学术团队；完善学术研究成果的国内外学术交流机制，出版发表、评价考核机制，智库建设评价机制。

We must strengthen the capacity building of discourse that integrates China and the international community, strengthen the dialogue and exchange between academia and functional departments of ethnic work, various types of media, the general public, and the international community, and accelerate the construction of a discourse system of China's ethnic theory and policy that has Chinese characteristics and conforms to the characteristics of international communication. At the same time, we must improve the institutional mechanisms for experts and scholars to participate in the decision-making on important policies and major matters of ethnic work; broaden the channels for experts and scholars to participate in practical work such as the creation of ethnic unity and progress, draw empirical materials for disciplinary construction from practice, and use the theoretical achievements of disciplinary construction to guide the construction of the Chinese national community.

加强融通中外的话语能力建设，加强学术界与民族工作职能部门、各类媒体、社会大众和国际社会的对话交流，加快构建具有中国特色、符合国际传播特点的中国民族理论政策话语体系。同时，要健全专家学者参与民族工作重要政策、重大事项决策体制机制；拓宽专家学者参与民族团结进步创建等实践工作渠道，从实践中汲取学科建设的经验材料，用学科建设理论成果指导中华民族共同体建设。

Promoting the construction of the disciplinary system of the study of the Chinese national community is a glorious mission and sacred duty entrusted to us by the New Era. To accelerate the disciplinary construction of the study of the Chinese national community, we must adhere to the principle of combining Marxist ethnic theory and community theory with China's specific realities and with the excellent traditional Chinese culture, accelerate the improvement of the knowledge system for forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation, construct an independent Chinese knowledge system and talent cultivation system, promote knowledge innovation, theoretical innovation, and methodological innovation in philosophy and social sciences, continuously deepen the study of the Chinese national community, effectively promote the sense of community for the Chinese nation to take root deeply in the hearts of people of all ethnic groups, and use the new achievements in disciplinary construction to assist the high-quality development of the Party's ethnic work in the New Era.

推进中华民族共同体学学科体系建设，是新时代赋予我们的光荣使命和神圣职责。加快推动中华民族共同体学学科建设，必须坚持马克思主义民族理论和共同体理论同中国具体实际相结合、同中华优秀传统文化相结合的原则，加快完善铸牢中华民族共同体意识的知识体系，构建中国自主的知识体系和人才培养体系，推进哲学社会科学的知识创新、理论创新、方法创新，不断推动中华民族共同体研究走向深入，切实推动中华民族共同体意识厚植各族人民心灵深处，以学科建设新成效助力新时代党的民族工作高质量发展。

(The author is Vice President of South-Central Minzu University and a researcher at the Gansu Research Base for the Study of Ethnic and Religious Theory of the Chinese United Front Theory Research Association)

（作者系中南民族大学副校长、中国统一战线理论研究会民族宗教理论甘肃研究基地研究员）