{"links":{"self":"http://dataportal.arc.gov.au/NCGP/API/grants/DE260101214"},"data":{"type":"grant-details","id":"DE260101214","attributes":{"code":"DE260101214","administering-organisation":"The Australian National University","announcement-administering-organisation":"The Australian National University","scheme-name":"Discovery Early Career Researcher Award","grant-status":"Active","funding-commencement-year":2026,"years-funded":3,"project-start-date":"2026-01-01","anticipated-end-date":"2028-12-31","grant-summary":"Building and Governing Sectarianism: Muslims and the Modern Chinese State . This project aims to investigate how modern states encourage and institutionalise sectarianism, focusing specifically on the encounter between the Chinese state and its Muslim citizens along its Northwest frontier regions. Utilising a multilingual interdisciplinary approach, archival research, and ethnographic work, the project will generate new knowledge on sectarianism as an instrument of authoritarian governance. This will contribute to enhancing Australia’s national capacity in analysing Chinese politics and regime resilience. It will also provide the necessary tools for policymakers to understand how sectarianism is used by both Muslim and non-Muslim states in managing their Muslim populations across the Asia-Pacific.","funding-current":532998.00,"funding-at-announcement":528773,"investigators-current":[{"title":"Dr","firstName":"Mohammed","familyName":"Alsudairi","roleName":"Discovery Early Career Researcher Award","roleCode":"DECRA","isFellowship":true,"orcidIdentifier":null}],"investigators-at-announcement":[{"title":"Dr","firstName":"Mohammed","familyName":"Alsudairi","roleName":"Discovery Early Career Researcher Award","roleCode":"DECRA","isFellowship":true,"orcidIdentifier":null}],"organisations-current":[{"organisationName":"The Australian National University","roleName":"Administering Organisation","state":"ACT"}],"organisations-at-announcement":[{"organisationName":"The Australian National University","roleName":"Administering Organisation","state":"ACT"}],"field-of-research":[{"isPrimary":false,"code":"430301","name":"Asian History","type":"FOR20"},{"isPrimary":true,"code":"5004","name":"Religious Studies","type":"FOR20"},{"isPrimary":false,"code":"500403","name":"Islamic Studies","type":"FOR20"}],"socio-economic-objective":[{"code":"130501","name":"Religion and Society","type":"SEO20"},{"code":"280113","name":"Expanding Knowledge In History, Heritage and Archaeology","type":"SEO20"}],"international-collaboration":["China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)","England","Taiwan"],"lief-register":[],"achievement-summary":null,"national-interest-test-statement":"As Australia’s largest trade partner, China’s domestic political stability is of key importance to our nation’s long-term well-being. Our understanding of the inner workings of Chinese politics, and especially how the state exercises authority with its citizens, is of particular significance. Drawing on interdisciplinary approaches, archival research, and in-person and digital fieldwork, this project addresses a gap in our knowledge of Chinese politics by looking at how the Chinese state, historically and at present, has harnessed and institutionalised sectarian differences among its Muslim minority populations as a governing method for reinforcing its authority and legitimacy. Findings will be shared with the Australian foreign policy and intelligence community through two major reports examining, respectively, Chinese political stability from the angle of sectarianism, and the global politics of sectarianised religion. The knowledge will be critical for building Australia’s national capacity to understand the source of regime resilience in China, and how sectarianism is leveraged within the context of state-religion relations across the Asia-Pacific, whether by Muslim or non-Muslim states. As Australia seeks to grapple with the changing political and religious landscape of the Asia-Pacific, home to over half of the world’s Muslims population, it will further contribute to our efforts to support regional stability and benefit our relations with China.  "}}}