Presentation Title
Kham in the 1950s: Transition of Power in the Peripheries
Abstract
On October 7th, 1950, the Chinese communists launched the Battle of Chamdo, the eastern border of Tibet. No sooner was Tibet “peacefully liberated,” the Chinese reinforcements arrived. This research focuses on Kham Tibetans during the transition of power in the 1950s. The author argues that Tibetans in the 1950s did not simply fit into the binary categories: pro-Tibet or pro-China. Instead, they were in between, situated in a tangle where hope and fear folded upon individuals. Their responses to the Chinese in the 1950s, in fact, rooted a complex system of national identity and individual pursuit.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Abigail McGowan
Status
Undergraduate
Student College
College of Arts and Sciences
Program/Major
History
Primary Research Category
Arts & Humanities
Kham in the 1950s: Transition of Power in the Peripheries
On October 7th, 1950, the Chinese communists launched the Battle of Chamdo, the eastern border of Tibet. No sooner was Tibet “peacefully liberated,” the Chinese reinforcements arrived. This research focuses on Kham Tibetans during the transition of power in the 1950s. The author argues that Tibetans in the 1950s did not simply fit into the binary categories: pro-Tibet or pro-China. Instead, they were in between, situated in a tangle where hope and fear folded upon individuals. Their responses to the Chinese in the 1950s, in fact, rooted a complex system of national identity and individual pursuit.