Author Description

Hopes, Gatherings, and New Beginnings: An Amdo Tibetan New Year, Klu thar rgyal's meticulously detailed exploration of Lo sar is comparable to a lively reality program focused on a Tibetan sheepherding community in a semi-arid region of China's northwest Qinghai Province where modernity and tradition interact in a socially dynamic setting. Emphasizing transitions between old and new ways of life and thought, this young Tibetan author documents his own family's and community's responsibilities during the New Year Lo sar period. From a multi-day series of events including parties, rituals, and weddings, Klu thar rgyal chooses weddings to illustrate a social-economic dynamic of the cultural integration of tradition and the "fashionable and modern." Mundane daily chores are the essence of this book. It strives to depict the totality of observational focus, introducing essential circumstances of real life, allowing readers to judge and interpret the multiple social aspects of these chores and interactions. For example, the writer's mother's painstaking housework and concern for the family's livestock and her less-than-riveting conversation portray authentic life. The book also communicates more - gender inequality and education levels - but without judgment or interpretation. Moreover, the eighty-five captioned photographs offer a graphic visual representation of the content, embedding readers in the reality rather than the perhaps romanticized imaginary images. Essential reading for learning more about contemporary Tibetan society as it transitions from rural to urban, from mobile pastoralism to a settled existence, and the impacts of ecological enclosure and compulsory education. -Gengqiu Gelai (Konchok Gelek, Dkon mchog dge legs University of ZurichHopes, Gathering, and New Beginnings: An Amdo Tibetan New Year is an intimate, exceptionally thorough Tibetan New Year study, providing a day-by-day description of the 2018 Tibetan New Year in the author's pastoral home