The Journey of the Uyghur Diaspora
Despite the headlines that highlight the oppression of the Uyghur people in China, little is known about Uyghur people who have fled and live outside of China as refugees and exiles. What were the circumstances that compelled them to leave everything behind? How do the first-generation Uyghurs live their lives and cope with the precariousness of exile – and continue their struggle for the liberation of their homeland? How do the second-generation Uyghurs who grow up outside of China relate to their parents' past and build their own identities?
The Uyghur experiences as new arrivals in Kazakhstan, Türkiye and Europe reveal many issues that policymakers would prefer to keep quiet about: the transnational control and surveillance of the Chinese state over lives of Uyghur exiles; the anti-Muslim immigration and asylum policies in Europe; Islamophobia in European societies. These impact heavily on Uyghur lives in exile. This book tells the story from Uyghur perspectives and document how they have settled and built communities overseas, with the dream of returning to their freed homeland one day.
Published by Ethics International Press, February 2026
