From Institutional Embedding to Identity Formation: The Theoretical Logic and Practical Paths of Integrating the Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress into Ideological and Political Education in Universities

The adoption and implementation of the Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress of the People's Republic of China marks a historic transition in China's efforts to promote ethnic unity and progress, shifting from policy-based governance to a rule-of-law framework. As the principal institutional setting for fostering students' moral development, university ideological and political education faces the pressing theoretical and practical challenge of effectively integrating this new legal framework into its educational practices. Moving beyond the simplistic approach of merely adding legal content to existing courses, this article develops an analytical framework of "institutional embedding–identity formation" to explain the internal logic of integrating the law into university ideological and political education from the perspectives of legal foundations, psychological mechanisms, and implementation pathways. The study argues that such integration is fundamentally a process of meaning construction through which external institutional norms are transformed into internalized value commitments. This process follows a progressive sequence of renewing cognitive schemas, cultivating emotional bonds, and internalizing behavioral scripts. Building on this logic, the article proposes a three-stage implementation pathway consisting of standardized institutional embedding, experiential transformation, and institutional consolidation. This framework provides both a solid theoretical foundation and practical guidance for promoting education on ethnic unity and progress within university ideological and political education.