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This talk will provide an overview of Zuo Zongtang's campaigns against the Dungan rebels in Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, and against Yakub Beg in Central Asia with an emphasis upon his programs for social rejuvenation and cultural assimilation in the aftermath of these massive uprisings. Grounded in the statecraft theories of Wei Yuan and others, Zuo and his protégés sought to infuse the defeated Muslim populations of these regions with Confucian ideals as part of their state-building efforts, which included formally making Xinjiang a province of the Qing Empire. The repercussions of Zuo's actions are still being felt today.

Kenneth Swope is Professor of History, Senior Fellow of the Dale Center for the Study of War and Society at the University of Southern Mississippi, and Senior Project Adviser for the Aftermath Project at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. He holds MA (Chinese Studies) and PhD (History) degrees from the University of Michigan. He is the author and editor of numerous books on late imperial China including “Struggle for Empire: The Battles of General Zuo Zongtang,” forthcoming from the Naval Institute Press in 2024. He is currently researching a book on the “Rebellion of the Three Feudatories (1673-1681),” scheduled for publication in 2026.