Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
Problem/Puzzle/Research Questions
Anand (2000) explores the narratives that shape Tibetan identity, especially the notion of a national identity among those in diaspora. The author explores the impact of Western orientalist theorizing of Tibet on Tibetan self-consciousness, claiming that Tibetan self-consciousness and national identity has been shaped by these orientalist narratives.
Main Argument
The author argues that Tibetan national identity has been historically and socially constructed, via discursive practices relating to orientalism: an idealized narrative of what Tibet means.
Theories and Concepts
Anand (2000) invokes social constructivism, identity construction, and discursive identity construction in the analysis.
Empirical Evidence
To support claims and substantiate positions, Anand (2000) provides an overview of the Tibetan diaspora. The author also cites authors with similar views on nationalism, and also shows how Tibetans in diaspora have had access to the means by which to create and maintain national identity. Anand (2000) also refers to several example of orientalism in Western depictions of Tibet, such as books and movies.
Structures, Interactions, Actors
The structures referred to include the Tibetan government in exile versus other overarching structures such as the Indian and Chinese governments. Actors include the Dalai Lama, and also Western theorists that have supported the Tibetan national narrative. Interactions between actors and structures are evident in the ways Western discursive practices have been incorporated into Tibetan national identity construction.
Surprising Insights
Rarely is the Tibetan question framed in such a way that shows how national identity construction can be shaped by “foreign” influences.
Critique/Questions
The view that Tibetan nationalism has been socially constructed seems to obfuscate the fact that its claim to nationalism is as legitimate as any other state.
Connections
How is American identity constructed, and what role does mythical nationalism play in American political culture?
References
Anand, D. (2000). (Re)imagining nationalism. Contemporary South Asia 9(3): 271-287.
All of the researchers must be given equal weight relation to the importance of their work. The following sampling of research represents some of the key authors and works in the area of location and personal identity. Toft (2003) examined the connection between personal identity, culture, and geography. She concluded that culture and ethnicity are governed by geography and that these issues are the root of conflict. When one group
Tibetan Conflict Tibet has received much attention from the West. It is described as having a rich cultural heritage. It is viewed as being a victim of Communist aggression. It is hailed as a tourist destination. Each of these has some truth to it. But what is not always ascertained is the geopolitical importance of Tibet in Eurasian economics. Known as the "rooftop of the world," it contains in its plateaus
Nationalism and Anthony Smith's anti-primordialism in his view of modern Asiatic history and the construction of what is 'Asia' Nationalism and what makes a nation a cohesive and functioning unit has been one of the essential questions of modern political philosophy, particularly in Asia today, where in India, China, Tibet, Japan, Vietnam, and Korea, a plurality of different regional and religious identities fight to dominate particular national territories. Anthony D. Smith
Politics & Tourism The Impact of Politics on Tourism In 1989, Linda Richter emphasized the largely unrecognized role tourism plays on the world's political stage. Some of the examples mentioned to support her argument were the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics in the aftermath of the Soviet invasion of Afganistan and the banning of Aeroflot flights over U.S. territory following the downing of a commercial Korean airliner over Soviet territory
Some Chinese researchers assert that Chinese flutes may have evolved from of Indian provenance. In fact, the kind of side-blown, or transverse, flutes musicians play in Southeast Asia have also been discovered in Africa, India, Saudi Arabia, and Central Asia, as well as throughout the Europe of the Roman Empire. This suggests that rather than originating in China or even in India, the transverse flute might have been adopted through the
The goals at which this process is aimed can concentrate on creating benefits primarily for one party or on creating benefits for both parties.' (van der Pluijm and Melissen, 2007, p.1) Multiple-sided city diplomacy is a "diplomatic process in which more than two parties are involved, representing various cities." (van der Pluijm and Melissen, 2007, p.1) van der Pluijm and Melissen state that associations of municipalities "such as United Cities