01388nas a2200133   4500000000100000000000100001008004100002100001700043245012400060300001100184490000700195520103800202022001401240       2021                            d1 aMichael Long00aFinding the  Epic of Jangar : the literary construction of an early Oirat epic in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region  a90-1040 v223 aDuring the early reform period in China beginning in 1978, intellectuals and government agencies expended significant resources collecting,  revising , and publishing folk literature in collaboration with local folk artists and amateur collectors. While folk artists were encouraged to re-engage with past folk practices, academics were required to analyze and preserve this  folk culture   scientifically ,  objectively , and  correctly . This paper utilizes oral narratives of surviving agents and related materials to follow the politicized process of collection,  revision , and publication of what would be called the  Epic of Jangar  of Xinjiang s Oirat Mongols. Through this process, a unified narrative began to emerge that assisted in the construction of a unique  excellent  Mongol - but above all Chinese-Mongol - culture. Through textualization, historical ritualized socializing performances were systematically decontextualized and simultaneously recontextualized as a great contribution to Chinese national literature.  a1463-1369