Between cultural capital and aesthetic governance: A paradoxical analysis of Inner-Mongolian printmaking

Rooted in Bourdieu's field theory, this study examines the paradoxical relationship between cultural capital and aesthetic governance in Inner-Mongolian printmaking. Specifically, through demographic analysis and the examination of institutional discourse and case studies, it reveals how Inner-Mongolian printmaking's symbolic resources from nomadic agricultural ecologies, totemism and shamanism are transformed into recognisable motifs. It highlights that although artists gain symbolic capital by mobilising ethnic themes, they must simultaneously conform to policy-driven visual norms, which limits their aesthetic autonomy. This dynamic creates a paradox: As ethnic motifs become legible, they are regulated within a managed multicultural framework. Thus, visibility does not equal sovereignty. Overall, this study contributes to cultural research by extending Bourdieu's field theory to a non-Western context and highlighting how minority artists negotiate between recognition and constraint in a visually governed system. Further, it offers insights into the politics of ethnic representation in post-socialist China.