Customer Reviews

The Tibet-China Conflict: History and Polemics

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.