Students of the Imaginary

Abstract

This article applies the work of French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan to interpret the experiences and struggles of students who attend Xinjiang classes, a Chinese government-funded ethnic minority boarding school program. The psychoanalytic domains theorized by Lacan are used in this article to argue that the decisions made by Xinjiang class students are subject to the desire of parents and ethnic community customs as much as they are to government policies. Students want to take advantage of their newfound opportunities in Eastern China, but they also want to please their parents and respect ethnic traditions. They oscillate between the desires of others and what they want for themselves, both of which cause them endless uncertainty and anxiety.