University of California Press
The Snow Lion and the Dragon: China, Tibet, and the Dalai Lama
Key Metrics
- Melvyn C Goldstein
- University of California Press
- Paperback
- 9780520219519
- 8.33 X 5.59 X 0.46 inches
- 0.49 pounds
- Political Science > International Relations - General
- English
Secure TransactionBook Description
Tibet's political fortunes have undergone numerous vicissitudes since the fifth Dalai Lama first ascended to political power in Tibet in 1642. In this century, a forty-year period of de facto independence following the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911 ended abruptly when the Chinese Communists forcibly incorporated Tibet into their new state and began the series of changes that destroyed much of Tibet's traditional social, cultural, and economic system. After the death of Mao in 1976, the rise to power of Deng Xiaoping quickly produced a change in attitude in Beijing and a major initiative to negotiate with the Dalai Lama to solve the conflict. This failed. With the death of Deng Xiaoping, the future of Tibet is more uncertain than ever, and Goldstein argues that the conflict could easily erupt into violence.
Drawing upon his deep knowledge of the Tibetan culture and people, Goldstein takes us through the history of Tibet, concentrating on the political and cultural negotiations over the status of Tibet from the turn of the century to the present. He describes the role of Tibet in Chinese politics, the feeble and conflicting responses of foreign governments, overtures and rebuffs on both sides, and the nationalistic emotions that are inextricably entwined in the political debate. Ultimately, he presents a plan for a reasoned compromise, identifying key aspects of the conflict and appealing to the United States to play an active diplomatic role. Clearly written and carefully argued, this book will become the definitive source for anyone seeking an understanding of the Tibet Question during this dangerous turning point in its turbulent history.
Author Bio
Dr. Goldstein is a socio-cultural anthropologist specializing in Tibetan society. His topical interest include family and marriage (polyandry), cross-cultural and global aging, population studies, cultural ecology and economic development/change. He has conducted research in Tibet (Tibet Autonomous Region of China) on a range of topics including nomadic pastoralism, the impact of economic reforms on rural Tibet, family planning and fertility, the revival of Buddhism, modern Tibetan history, and socio-economic change.
His has also conducted research in India (with Tibetan refugees), in northwest Nepal (with a Tibetan border community in Limi), in western Mongolia (with a nomadic pastoral community in Hovd province), in Kathmandu on family planning and intergenerational relations, and in eastern China on modernization and the elderly).
Dr. Goldstein’s current projects include: Editor of a large online Tibetan Oral History Archive with the Asia Division of the Library of Congress, an oral history of monks in Drepung Monastery in the traditional society, a longitudinal study of the impact of China’s reform policies on Tibetan nomads, and a study investigating modernization and changing patterns of the elderly and intergenerational relations in farming Tibet.
Source: Case Western Reserve University
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