Tsering Shakya Livres

Exploring the transformation of Western perceptions of Tibet, this collection of essays delves into its historical context and the evolving views from an exotic paradise to a land affected by external forces. Notable scholars examine diverse topics, including Tibetan concepts of violence, monastic traditions, and the experiences of exile. The book also investigates how Tibet has been depicted in Western literature, art, and movements like environmentalism and New Age spirituality, shedding light on the complexities of these representations.

Based entirely on unpublished primary sources, Tsering Shakya's groundbreaking history of modern Tibet shatters the popular conception of the country as an isolated Shangri-la unaffected by broader international developments. Shakya gives a balanced, blow-by-blow account of Tibet's ongoing struggle to maintain its independence and safeguard its cultural identity while being sandwiched between the heavyweights of Asian geopolitics: Britain, India, China, and the United States. With thorough documentation, Shakya details the Chinese depredations of Tibet, and reveals the failures of the Tibetan leadership's divided strategies. Rising above the simplistic dualism so often found in accounts of Tibet's contested recent history, The Dragon in the Land of Snows lucidly depicts the tragedy that has befallen Tibet and identifies the conflicting forces that continue to shape the aspirations of the Tibetan people today.