Author Description

This book investigates Tibetan recovery from the devastation of High Socialism and a new engagement with attempts to modernize the region in the era of ‘reform and opening’ in post-Mao China. <br>With chapters on the negotiation of <i>culture</i> and identity in Amdo in contributions on public debate about traditional culture, on attempts at language standardization, and on sexuality. Concerning <i>religion</i>, there are contributions on critical perspectives on reincarnate lamas, and on cases of revival and reinterpretation of popular rituals. Amdo Tibetan self-expression in art, literature, and performance are studied in articles on folk songs, painters and their works, and on the changing economics of cultural production. The final chapters deal with <i>social and economic</i> trends in two nomadic pastoral areas and with foreign aid for new Tibetan schools.<br>A unique introduction to contemporary life and attitudes in north-eastern Tibet, invaluable for understanding modern Tibetan life in China today, how it developed, <i>and</i> what it is rapidly becoming.