Governing People or Territory? The Nature of the Banner in Early Twentieth-Century Mongolia

Nomadic peoples have traditionally lived without clearly demarcated boundaries, structuring their societies around social groups rather than fixed territories. The League-Banner system, introduced into Mongolian society during the Qing period, brought together two dimensions – social grouping and territoriality. However, the fundamental unit, the banner, functioned primarily as a social group rather than a territorial entity. The emergence of a new Mongolian state after the 1911 Chinese Revolution, together with increased interaction with modern sovereign states, particularly the Republic of China, challenged this tradition and led to the separation and redefinition of these two dimensions. This paper examines tensions within Mongolian society that had not surfaced under the Qing, drawing on evidence from several banners across Mongolia, particularly in Inner Mongolia, in the period following the 1911 Chinese Revolution

Banner · China · Period (music) · Social change · Social group · Sovereignty · State (computer science) · Structuring · China's Ethnic Minorities and Relations · Eurasian Exchange Networks · Rangeland Management and Livestock Ecology