Interrogating Tibetan Exilic Culture: Issues and Concerns

Identity, memory, and homeland: in conversation with Tsering Wangmo Dhompa, a Tibetan author and poet in exile

“…India has been the “home away from home” for Tibetan exiles for the past six decades. The Tibetans expected the political circumstances to be soon in their favor and were hopeful of a swift return, and therefore did not assimilate (Basu 2012). However, with the passage of time, the prospect of return to the homeland is transforming as the Tibetans now turn their gaze toward the West and other parts of the world (Batarseh 2016; Gupta 2019), creating more and more hybridized and hyphenated identities as time passes (Ramanathan and Singh 2021).…”

“…The emerging Contemporary Tibetan writings in English provide an opportunity for the academic community to redefine and reinterpret the meanings and implications of deterritorialization and migration as they bring to light the experiences of the Tibetans in exile (Vasantkumar 2016) and Dhompa's literary works contribute significantly to these issues. It is on account of the political turmoil and the connections between religion and self-perception, along with the over-emphasis on mystic aspects of Tibet, that contemporary discourses frequently problematize identity and representation (Basu 2012). On numerous occasions, these writings raise concerns about how Tibetans understand the secular as well as the sacred and build their identities around them, particularly at a time when Indian as well as Western influences on Tibetan culture are becoming unavoidable due to worldwide exchanges of information and culture (Siganporia 2015).…”

Re-Imagining Nationalism: Exploring the Narratives of Tibetan Women in Canada

“…Indeed, the process of occupation and exile is what forced the creation of an 'imagined community' among the Tibetans. While there was a Tibetan identity prior to Chinese occupation (Basu, 2012), it was not necessarily mobilized as a unified, nationalist identity. Additionally, as Norbu (1992b) The Chinese justification for invading Tibet included 'liberating' Tibetans from their existing feudal and authoritarian systems, which the Chinese believed were rooted in the hierarchical structures of Tibetan Buddhism.…”

“…Tibetan nationalism has arisen due to the Chinese occupation of Tibet. While a 'Tibetan' identity did exist prior to occupation (Basu, 2012), the need to organize around this collective identity was not needed till the invasion of an 'outside' force. The movement of thousands of Tibetans into exile has given rise to an exilic form of nationalism, where exile has become the main arena for nationalism to develop and be defined.…”