Ethnicity and Cultural Rights in Tibet

Abstract

The debates on the so-called Tibet issue between the exiled Tibetan government and the Chinese central government have caused misunderstandings of Tibetan ethnicity. The manufacturing of an image of passive Tibetans either as victims or recipients of aid under China's economic and cultural policies in Tibet is questionable. The arising discussions on the improvement of China's ethnic policies provide theoretical possibilities of breaking the impasse of Tibetan ethnicity and cultural rights. The proposals of Chinese scholars to depoliticize Tibet-related issues, as well as the idea of non-separatism self-representation, are supposed to allow more space for Tibetans to exercise ethnicity and maintain the prosperity of their culture through their own voice.