Divergent Refugee and Tribal Cosmopolitanism in Dharamshala

This article analyses the divergent, and occasionally overlapping, trajectories of Tibetan refugee and Gaddi tribal cosmopolitanism in Dharamshala, North India. In a place self-consciously branded as cosmopolitan, where Tibetan ethnocommodification is the primary symbolic currency, practices of inclusivity can broadly give way to Gaddi exclusions. Cosmopolitanism as an ordering ideology and set of intercultural competencies, often predicated on the dyadic relationship between Tibetan refugees and international tourists, propels Gaddi resentments and coarsens intergroup sociality. This does not mean, however, that Gaddis are forever consigned to tribal backwardness and reactionary forms of communal aspiration. Gaddis have forged an alternate, grounded cosmopolitanism based on cultural skills fostered through pastoral transhumance, seasonal labour migration corresponding with foreign tourists and ongoingethnopolitical redefinition of what it means to be tribal itself. By seeing past utopian propaganda and dystopian exaggerations about Dharamshala, a richer tapestry of group relations emerges which reveals divergent cosmopolitanisms in the promotion of shared struggles for state recognition and cultural preservation.

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The Problem with ‘Rich Refugees’ Sponsorship, Capital, and the Informal Economy of Tibetan Refugees

Modern Asian Studies ◽

10.1017/s0026749x06001983 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 40 (1) ◽

pp. 233-253 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

AUDREY PROST

Keyword(s):

Informal Economy ◽

Symbolic Capital ◽

Economic Capital ◽

Refugee Community ◽

Methodological Challenges ◽

Economic Exchanges ◽

Tibetan Refugee ◽

Tibetan Refugees

This article examines issues pertaining to the growth of ‘informal’ economic exchanges and relationships of patronage in the Tibetan refugee community of Dharamsala (H-P), India. I firstly review the theoretical and methodological challenges posed by investigations of Tibetan refugee modernity, then focus on one particular form of exchange in the informal economy of exiles: rogs ram, or the sponsorship of Tibetans by foreigners. The article argues that symbolic capital comes to play a particularly important role in communities where economic capital is scarce, acting in fact as a proviso to economic capital. The highly unstable character of symbolic capital means that, for Tibetan refugees as for other communities, its conversion into economic capital is arduous and engenders a tense field of negotiations between sponsors and beneficiaries.

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High Prevalence of Active and Latent Tuberculosis in Children and Adolescents in Tibetan Schools in India: The Zero TB Kids Initiative in Tibetan Refugee Children

Clinical Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1093/cid/ciy987 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 69 (5) ◽

pp. 760-768 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Kunchok Dorjee ◽

Sonam Topgyal ◽

Chungdak Dorjee ◽

Tenzin Tsundue ◽

Tenzin Namdol ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Skin Testing ◽

Latent Tuberculosis ◽

Population Level ◽

Preventive Therapy ◽

Case Finding ◽

Refugee Children ◽

Tuberculin Skin Testing ◽

Tibetan Refugee ◽

Tibetan Refugees ◽

Tuberculosis In Children

Abstract Background Tuberculosis (TB) prevalence is high among Tibetan refugees in India, with almost half of cases occurring in congregate facilities, including schools. A comprehensive program of TB case finding and treatment of TB infection (TBI) was undertaken in schools for Tibetan refugee children. Methods Schoolchildren and staff in Tibetan schools in Himachal Pradesh, India, were screened for TB with an algorithm using symptoms, chest radiography, molecular diagnostics, and tuberculin skin testing. Individuals with active TB were treated and those with TBI were offered isoniazid-rifampicin preventive therapy for 3 months. Results From April 2017 to March 2018, we screened 5391 schoolchildren (median age, 13 years) and 786 staff in 11 Tibetan schools. Forty-six TB cases, including 1 with multidrug resistance, were found in schoolchildren, for a prevalence of 853 per 100 000. Extensively drug-resistant TB was diagnosed in 1 staff member. The majority of cases (66%) were subclinical. TBI was detected in 930 of 5234 (18%) schoolchildren and 334 of 634 (53%) staff who completed testing. Children in boarding schools had a higher prevalence of TBI than children in day schools (915/5020 [18%] vs 15/371 [4%]; P < .01). Preventive therapy was provided to 799 of 888 (90%) schoolchildren and 101 of 332 (30%) staff with TBI; 857 (95%) people successfully completed therapy. Conclusions TB prevalence is extremely high among Tibetan schoolchildren. Effective active case finding and a high uptake and completion of preventive therapy for children were achieved. With leadership and community mobilization, TB control is implementable on a population level.

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‘Searching for Roots’: Exploring the Idea of Home in Tibetan Refugee Youth Living in Delhi, India

Psychology and Developing Societies ◽

10.1177/09713336211040710 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 097133362110407

Author(s):

Pallavi Ramanathan ◽

Purnima Singh

Keyword(s):

Group Identification ◽

Well Being ◽

Central Position ◽

Group Efficacy ◽

Refugee Youth ◽

The Social ◽

Tibetan Refugee ◽

Tibetan Refugees ◽

The Relationship ◽

Depth Interviews

Home is a key aspect of place attachment signified by rootedness and ease; it is operationalised as a sense of being rooted to and feeling at ease in a particular place. Two studies were done to gain a nuanced idea of the concept of home as understood by Tibetan refugee youth living in Delhi. In study 1, based on in-depth interviews on 20 students of ages 18–25 years, a thematic analysis resulted in the global theme of ‘community as home’ indicating the central position of the community while talking about home. On the basis of this study, four variables were identified as key to the concept of home: in-group identification, group efficacy, social well-being and rootedness (home). Study 2 was designed to understand the relationship between these identified variables. Around 103 refugee youth (controlled for gender) aged 18–25 years completed the questionnaire. It was found that most of the variables were positively correlated to one another, except for group efficacy and social well-being. Further, the mediation analysis indicated that in the context of the community, higher levels of social well-being explained increased in-group identification, particularly when mediated by the presence of group efficacy. Overall, it was found that community seems to be integral to the concept of home for Tibetan refugee youth living in Delhi. Both studies expand upon existing literature on the concept of home and have further implications for the notion of home and the social well-being of Tibetan refugees.

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Socio-Cultural, Economic and Environmental Impact of Tibetan Refugee Settlement on Host Community in Pokhara

Journal of Business and Management ◽

10.3126/jbm.v5i0.27388 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

pp. 53-63

Author(s):

Santosh Kumar Gurung ◽

Bal Ram Bhattarai ◽

Shanti Devi Chhetri ◽

Anisha Bataju ◽

Ganga Ghale

Keyword(s):

Environmental Impact ◽

Social Exchange ◽

Social Acceptance ◽

Local Environment ◽

Economic Benefits ◽

Host Community ◽

Cultural Economic ◽

Social Events ◽

Tibetan Refugee ◽

Tibetan Refugees

The study attempts to empirically investigate and assess the socio-cultural, economic and environmental impact of the refugee settlements on the local host community who are living around the Tashi Pakhiel Tibetan camp located in Hemja, Kaski district. A questionnaire survey was undertaken to collect opinion of 500 host community members on the issue. The findings reveal that there exists social harmony, mutual co-existence, and bonding between the Tibetan refugees and local residents of Hemja. The two communities involve in social exchange and participate in social events of each other. The social acceptance is revealed from the fact that the practice of intermarriages between the communities is also prevalent. The Tibetan refugee camp is found not to adversely impact the host community culture. Similarly, the refugee settlement has not brought any adverse effect on the local environment. The basic services and facilities like education and health is available on equitable basis to both the communities. Finally, the economic interaction between the communities has resulted in mutually beneficial economic condition for both in terms of increased business and employment opportunities. Moreover, the economic benefits to the host community are found to be relatively higher as compared to the benefits received by the refugees.

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Tibetan Refugee Journeys: Representations of Escape and Transit

Refugee Survey Quarterly ◽

10.1093/rsq/hdz007 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 38 (3) ◽

pp. 290-313

Author(s):

Rebecca Frilund

Keyword(s):

Ethnographic Study ◽

Transit Migration ◽

Tibetan Refugee ◽

Tibetan Refugees ◽

Reception Centre

Abstract This ethnographic study contributes to the scholarly call to increase studies on refugee journeys. It explores Tibetan journeys via Nepal to India and provides a novel case study about the Tibetan refugees who commonly cross the Himalayas at least partly on foot without passports and head to the Tibetan Reception Centre in Kathmandu, Nepal, from where they are assisted to India. Conceptually, the study argues that combining the studies of refugee journeys and transit migration increases understanding of the (Tibetan) refugee journeys. The findings reveal that the risky journey has a remarkable meaning both for those Tibetans who have done the journey and collectively for the diaspora Tibetans in India. As Tibetans, like refugees in general are still often victimised and their subjectivities overlooked, the study also contributes to a fuller understanding of the Tibetan refugee agency through the journey narratives of the interviewees of this study.

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Periodontal status among tibetan refugees residing in jodhpur city

Journal of Research in Dentistry ◽

10.19177/jrd.v3e42015722-729 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 3 (4) ◽

pp. 722

Author(s):

Savita Deora ◽

Aditya Saini ◽

Priyamvada Bhatia ◽

Dennis V Abraham ◽

Syeda Nazia Masoom ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Promotion ◽

Periodontal Diseases ◽

Age Groups ◽

Refugee Camps ◽

Age Group ◽

Oral Health Promotion ◽

Periodontal Status ◽

Tibetan Refugee ◽

Tibetan Refugees ◽

Study Participants

AIM: The present study is an attempt to evaluate the periodontal characteristics of this Tibetan refugee population and discuss possible oral health promotion activities. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 124 Tibetan were examined for the periodontal status using CPI and LOA index in Tibetan refugee camps in Jodhpur city, Rajasthan. RESULTS: Overall prevalence of periodontal disease among Tibetan refugees was 69%. Majority of the study participants {253(34%)} had CPI score 2. Periodontal status in Tibetan refugees is significantly (p≤0.05) associated with age group. Majority of study participants 232(32%) had LOA score 0. CONCLUSION: As age increases the periodontal diseases increases among study participants. There is significant association between age groups and periodontal status of Tibetan refugees.

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