The role of Islam in the formation of the ethnic cultural identity of the Dungan people

This article focuses on the origin of the Dungan people, the concept of ethno cultural identity, the role of Islam in the formation of the Dungan people. At the same time, an attempt was made to shed light on the role of religion in the lives of Dungans and similar Diasporas on the basis of comparative analysis. The reasons why Islam, which once served as the most important marker of ethno cultural identity in the life of the Dungans, have given way to the Dungan language with the change of space have been revealed. The role of Islam in the ethno-cultural identity of the Dungans of modern Central Asia, especially Uzbekistan, its differences between different categories of the Dungans and the reasons for these differences were discussed.