This paper focuses on perceptions of cultural loss felt by Uyghurs, one of Chinas fifty-five officially recognized minority ethnic groups, with respect to the demolition of the old district of the city of Kashgar. Although the western-based media describes the old city as being the heritage of the Uyghur people, through its ethno-historical development, the term Uyghur had vastly different meanings (Rudeslson 1997). The historical evolution of the term Uyghur shows that the current definition of Uyghur, as formulated by the State in China since the 1950s, differs from past meanings of Uyghur (Gladney 2004), particularly the era when the earliest parts of the old city district were constructed and inhabited. By focusing on the city of Kashgar and tracing the ethno-historical development of the term Uyghur to its current definition as one of Chinas fifty-five officially recognized minority peoples, I examine the evolution of the relationship between the State and the people contemporarily known as Uyghurs, to understand better the dynamics which have led to the demolition of the best preserved example of an oasis city on the intercontinental trade route known today as the Silk Road.

The rate and sequence of human decomposition permits forensic anthropologists to estimate time since death for remains from the forensic context. Preliminary research conducted in western Montana indicates that decomposition does not follow the patterns found in other geographic locations. The purpose of this study is to better define western Montanas unique environmental factors that affect the rate and pattern of decomposition by documenting changes in mature pigs (Sus scrofa) employed as human proxies. The pigs were deposited during the cold months of October and December and analyzed by comparing the rate and sequence of decomposition with climatological and environmental variables. The popular method of calculating accumulated degree days (ADD) to estimate time since death was tested and found to consistently underestimate the actual day of death, indicating that without alteration, this method should not be relied on for remains that have decomposed in western Montana. The results from this study confirms that Montanas cold winter slows and eventually halts decomposition, which in turn affects how remains decompose after the spring thaw. Ultimately both specimens reached complete mummification, never achieving skeletonization by the end of the study. The overall purpose of this study is to contribute to building a baseline data set for documenting decomposition in western Montanas highly variable and unpredictable weather.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Michigan.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Michigan.

Dissertation (Ph.D.)--University of Michigan

Akademische Antrittsrede--Universität Zürich, 1900.

Thesis (PH.D.) -- Syracuse University, 2002. / "Publication number AAT 3046839"

Thesis (PH.D.) -- Syracuse University, 2002. / "Publication number AAT 3046846 "

Thesis (PH.D.) -- Syracuse University, 2002. / "Publication number AAT 3046862"

Thesis (PH.D.) -- Syracuse University, 2002. / "Publication number AAT 3065207"