Tibet: A Political History

By Tsepon Wangchuk Deden Shakabpa

Book Overview

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• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0300008988
• ISBN13: 9780300008982
• Release Date: January 1
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Length: 381 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Tibet: A Political History

...Although there are several books dealing with Tibetanhistory, this is quite meaningful in these times of academic andespecially political dispute between Tibet and China over thehistorical status of Tibet as an independent nation before the Communist invasion of 1949-1950.Although it focuses on political matters, it doesn't neglect important aspects of religious development, which in the case of Tibet are crucial to understand the very special evolution of the Tibetan State over the centuries, as well as Tibetan relations with neighboring powers, such as the Chinese, Nepalese and Mongols, to name a few.It is also important to notice that even if it is written from a Tibetan point of view -the author was a government officer, not from the present Tibetan Government-in-Exile, but from the Tibetan government prior to the invasion-, it doesn't present the all-too-common view of Tibet as a sort of Shangri-La, where Tibet was a paradise on Earth whose inhabitants were quasi-angels until the Big Bad Communist Wolf came and blew everything apart. There is a healthy amount of criticism to certain Tibetan attitudes and actions over the centuries, thus making a more credible account of the country's history.As one should expect from a good history book, there are references to several sources. The author even bothers to explain the differences of quoting in the academic Western manner, which he uses for his Western sources, and the way Tibetan academics have traditionally done, which he also uses.Perhaps there are more recent books which comprise better research, but this title should not be be missed, since it offers a comprehensive history spanning from Tibet's mythological origins to the first years of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, and it can be understood by specialists and general readers alike...

Tibet: A Political History

It is a shame Tibet: A Political History is out of print. Although there are several books dealing with Tibetan history, this is quite meaningful in these times of academic and especially political dispute between Tibet and China over the historical status of Tibet as an independent nation before the Communist invasion of 1949-1950.Although it focuses on political matters, it doesn't neglect important aspects of religious development, which in the case of Tibet are crucial to understand the very special evolution of the Tibetan State over the centuries, as well as Tibetan relations with neighboring powers, such as the Chinese, Nepalese and Mongols, to name a few.It is also important to notice that even if it is written from a Tibetan point of view -the author was a government officer, not from the present Tibetan Government-in-Exile, but from the Tibetan government prior to the invasion-, it doesn't present the all-too-common view of Tibet as a sort of Shangri-La, where Tibet was a paradise on Earth whose inhabitants were quasi-angels until the Big Bad Communist Wolf came and blew everything apart. There is a healthy amount of criticism to certain Tibetan attitudes and actions over the centuries, thus making a more credible account of the country's history.As one should expect from a good history book, there are references to several sources. The author even bothers to explain the differences of quoting in the academic Western manner, which he uses for his Western sources, and the traditional Tibetan way, which he also uses.Perhaps there are more recent books which comprise better research, but this title should not be be missed, since it offers a comprehensive history spanning from Tibet's mythological origins to the first years of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, and it can be understood by specialists and general readers alike. Yale University Press originally published it in 1967, and a new edition (to me it looks like a facsimile, except for the cover) was presented by Snow Lion Publications in the nineties. I hope they will print it again some time.