Strategies put in place to advance and publicize field research of archaeological remains (or rather, „cultural relics“ in Chinese institutional parlance) in Xinjiang have been devised in close tandem with state initiatives reinforcing a nationalized- and arguably globalized – historical narrative. Not unfamiliar to us is the Belt-Road-Initiative that has spawned countless studies domestically and abroad in the name of revivifying the ancient „Silk Roads“. While this talk does not seek to address these politics of research, it draws attention to the effects of these policies on research incentives and developments in the field of so-called borderland archaeology.

Drawing on the realities of conducting field research in the western ranges of Tian Shan, one of the main focal points for the study of prehistoric (second-first millennium BCE) human activity in terms of settlement behavior and funerary practice, this presentation gives an on-the-ground account of archaeology in Xinjiang today. It describes the work of reconstructing the past amid domineering modern ideologies of cultural heritage and underscores the delicate but important task of eliciting common scientific goals in the face of more stringent conditions of geopolitics. The talk also points out that despite political aspirations, resources poured into the apparatus of heritage studies and management have afforded researchers opportunities to conduct fieldwork on larger and more intensive scales. These efforts have since spotlighted the uniqueness of the local archaeological record (such as in the present case study) against generalized cultural classifications of past movements and exchange across Inner Asia.

• Bennett, Gwen P., „National History and Identity Narratives in the People’s Republic of China: Cultural Heritage Interpretation in Xinjiang“, in Charles W. Hartley (Hrsg.), The Archaeology of Power and Politics in Eurasia: Regimes and Revolutions. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 2012, 37-56.
• Chan, Annie und Cong, Dexin, „Results of Field Research on Ancient Stonework in the River Valleys of Bortala and Ili in Western Tian Shan (Xinjiang, China)“,  Asian Perspectives 59, Nr.2 (2020), 385-420.
• Di Cosmo, Nicola, „Ancient Xinjiang Between Central Asia and China: The Nomadic Factor“, Anthropology & Archeology of Eurasia 34, Nr. 4 (1996), 87-101.