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Rousing A Nation Across Nations: Embodied Protests and Tibetan National Mobilization
November 28, 2023 @ 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Rousing A Nation Across Nations: Embodied Protests and Tibetan National Mobilization
Tsewang Dolma, a Tibetan refugee, stood unwavering in her commitment to the hunger strike unto death during the 2015 campaign in Delhi, India. Despite the ensuing health issues, she harbored no regrets after its forced conclusion. The true triumph of that campaign lay in the surge of nationalistic passion it stirred across the Tibetan community. In her words, “That is why I took part in the hunger strike. Even if I were to die, the decision would not go to waste. More Tsewangs would be born.”
In 2012, when Soepa Rinpoche engaged in self-immolation in Golog county, Tibet, his parting words echoed the generative death philosophy shared by Tsewang: “I am grateful to Pawo Thupten Ngodup and all other Tibetan heroes who have sacrificed their lives for Tibet and for the reunification of the Tibetan people … I am giving away my body as an offering of light to chase away the darkness.” His sacrifice ignited a similar wave of nationalistic fervor, resonating both in Tibet and among the Tibetan diaspora.
For individuals like Tsewang Dolma and Soepa Rinpoche, political action transcends mere resistance against a hostile state or a desperate plea to supranational bodies like the United Nations. It also serves the purpose of uniting a transnational Tibetan citizenry, comprising of Tibetan refugees in South Asia, as well as Tibetans in Tibet and other parts of the world. Through their collective memory, imagination, and ongoing sacrifices, a deterritorialized Tibetan nation emerges.
Join us on Tuesday, November 28 at 6:00 PM over Zoom where Ishani Dasgupta will share her research based on 30 months of fieldwork amongst the Tibetan refugee communities and settlements in India. She has worked closely with grassroots political organizations, and studied their culture of resistance. Her work has been supported by the Wenner-Gren Foundation and the American Institute of Indian Studies. She has presented her research widely, both in academic forums and in policy venues. She remains committed to bringing refugee voices to the forefront of critical discussions about refugee policies and rehabilitation practices.