This special issue of ‘Voiced and Voiceless in Xinjiang’ explores the construction of historical and cultural narratives as a complex field of interaction between representatives of the state and minority elites in Chinese Central Asia, with a particular focus on the region known since 1955 as Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). It shows how narratives, situated in their broader social, political and economic contexts, have been used in diverse ways by various actors to achieve diverse purposes, ranging from communal cohesion to the legitimation of power among different groups at different times. Having briefly introduced the main historical context (leading to ongoing crisis in Xinjiang) and the state of the field, this Introduction discusses some common themes of the issue, including the interdependence of grand/master narratives (grand récits) and small narratives (petits récits) and the mediating role of the local knowledge elite, before outlining the individual contributions.