Exile as Challenge: The Tibetan Diaspora

The Tibetan community in exile is arguably one of the most resilient and successful refugee groups in the world. For centuries, a people who had lived in seclusion, suddenly found themselves having to cope not only with the modern world, but also with the fact of exile. Yet, Tibetans the world over have proved themselves equal to this challenge and have achieved a fully literate society, economic stability and a democratic government. Much of this has been possible because of commitment to these changes by temporal and spiritual head of the Tibetans. This book is an attempt to document the lives of members of the exiled Tibetan community in India and elsewhere. It thus aims to fill a gap in our understanding – there have been few serious studies of the Tibetan diaspora. A revised and enlarged translation of the German publication (Tibet im Exil), this book focuses on two main themes: how Tibetans in exile preserve their culture, and how the community prepares itself for the return to Tibet. This is done through a series of interrelated papers that include chapters which trace the history of Tibet, analyse the legal issues involved in the dispute over her territory and sovereignty, document the reforms and changes introduced at social and political levels, and also an interview with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.