The Tibet-China Conflict: History and Polemics [Paperback]

Elliot Sperling (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 20, 2004

The status of Tibet has been at the core of the Tibet-China conflict for all parties drawn into it over the past century. China maintains that Tibet is an integral part of China, while Tibetans maintain that Tibet has historically been an independent country. In reality the conflict over Tibet's status has been a conflict over history. When Chinese writers and political figures assert that Tibet is a part of China, they do so on the basis of history. The People's Republic of China has pointedly accused the Dalai Lama of duplicity, stating that his unwillingness to recognize that Tibet has been an integral part of China for centuries renders his attempts to compromise on the Tibet issue unacceptable. The centrality of history in the question of Tibet's status could not be made clearer. This paper is a guide to the historical arguments made by the primary parties to the Tibet-China conflict. It draws on the key assertions about the issue as they have been framed in Chinese and Tibetan to examine the extent to which positions on the Tibet issue that are thought to reflect centuries of popular consensus are actually very recent constructions, often at variance with the history on which they claim to be based.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

This is the seventh publication in Policy Studies, a peer-reviewed East-West Center Washington series that presents scholarly analysis of key contemporary domestic and international political, economic, and strategic issues affecting Asia in a policy relevant manner.

About the Author

Elliot Sperling is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Central Eurasian Studies at Indiana University, Bloomington.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: East-West Center Washington (June 20, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932728120
• ISBN-13: 978-1932728125
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,282,867 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise Objective View of Historical Arguments, April 8, 2007

By 

Spyral "Its All Just A Ride" (Michigan United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tibet-China Conflict: History and Polemics (Paperback)

This book is a very short overview of the conflicting historical narratives that both the PRC and the Tibetan GIE have constructed in the past half century. At only 36 pages the text is very concise and very straightforward. It gives the two perspectives, and analyses both of them and their basis in historical fact, or lack thereof, using primary Chinese and Tibetan source material, with ample footnotes and bibliography.

The text is very moderate in it's conclusions, which is refreshing for such a polarized issue. Not only are both the PRC and the GIE's narratives based in half-truth fashion (emphasizing different historical periods or facts depending on what sounds better to either side's cause), but both are very recent constructs that have only formed in the past few decades, and have changed at various periods.

The last chapter on "The Invasion Question, or What Constitutes Tibet?" and the conclusion are very useful sections.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars tibet has always been an inseperable part of china, March 15, 2009

By 

Bevan A. Norkin "incredulous" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Tibet-China Conflict: History and Polemics (Paperback)

in 1986 according to this tract, the tibetan academy of sociology published a book entitled tibet has always been an inseperable part of china with documentation of the treaties between tibet and china. in light of this one wonders how the tibetans can sustain an argument that tibet has never been a part of china. comissioned by the congress of the united states the document is illuminating and causes one to wonder how the tibetans came to their conclusions about the legitimacy of an independent tibet.