East Turkistan independence movement

The East Turkestan independence movement is an expression which refers to organisations in Xinjiang or East Turkestan, also known as Uyghurstan or Chinese Turkistan, which advocate for independence from the People's Republic of China. The independence movement developed in the first half of the 20th century from a national conscience of ethnic groups in Xinjiang, inspired by Pan-Turkism and Pan-Islamism, as well as integrating elements of Soviet communism before making a turn towards Islamism during the end of the 1980s. After the end of the 1990s, a number of growing Uyghur independence organisations have been founded outside China. These are fighting for an independent East Turkistan, where democracy and human rights can prevail.

Such ethno-nationalism as a part of the Uyghur population was notably reinforced by the internal policies during the Republic of China. This was characterised by an influx of Han Chinese peoples, which created the omnipresence of the Chinese language, as well as the perception of economic disparity in favour of the Han Chinese people, and exploitation of Xinjiang's resources solely for the Han ethnic group. According to contemporary researchers, the poorest young people of the Uyghur community have augmented the feeling of independence, although it is difficult to evaluate the importance of the movement in a quantitative sense.

The name "East Turkestan" was created by the Russian sinologist Nikita Bichurin to replace the term "Chinese Turkestan" in 1829. "East Turkestan" was used traditionally to only refer to the Tarim Basin, and not Xinjiang as a whole, with Dzungaria being excluded from the area consisting of "East Turkestan".

Xinjiang before the Qing dynasty did not exist as one unit. It consisted of the two separate political entities of Dzungaria and the Tarim Basin (Eastern Turkestan). There was the Zhunbu (Dzungar region) and Huibu (Muslim region) Dzungharia or Ili was called Zhunbu 準部 (Dzungar region) Tianshan Beilu 天山北路 (Northern March), "Xinjiang" 新疆 (New Frontier), Dzongarie, Djoongaria, Soungaria, or "Kalmykia" (La Kalmouquie in French). It was formerly the area of the Zunghar Khanate 準噶爾汗國, the land of the Dzungar Oirat Mongols. The Tarim Basin was known as "Tianshan Nanlu 天山南路 (southern March), Huibu 回部 (Muslim region), Huijiang 回疆 (Muslim frontier), Chinese Turkestan, Kashgaria, Little Bukharia, East Turkestan", and the traditional Uyghur name for it was Altishahr (Uyghur: التى شهر, Алта-шаһар‎, ULY: Altä-shähär). It was formerly the area of the Eastern Chagatai Khanate 東察合台汗國, land of the Uyghur people before being conquered by the Dzungars. The Chinese Repository said that "Neither the natives nor the Chinese appear to have any general name to designate the Mohammedan colonies. They are called Kashgar, Bokhára, Chinese Turkestan, &c., by foreigners, none of which seem to be very appropriate. They have also been called Jagatai, after a son of Genghis khan, to whom this country fell as his portion after his father's death, and be included all the eight Mohammedan cities, with some of the surrounding countries, in one kingdom. It is said to have remained in this family, with some interruptions, until conquered by the Eleuths of Soungaria in 1683."

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