Tibetan Government-in-Exile

This book provides a detailed account of the structure and political strategies of the Tibetan government-in exile, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), in northern India. Since its founding in 1959, it has been led by the 14th Dalai Lama who struggles to regain the Tibetan homeland. Based on a theoretical approach on exile organizations – and extensive empirical studies in Asia – this book discusses CTA’s political strategies to gain national loyalty, and international support, in order to secure its own organizational survival and the ultimate goal: the return to Tibet.The book is organized around the two fundamental questions: firstly, how the CTA fosters its claims to be the sole representative of all Tibetans over the last decades in exile; and, secondly, which policies have been carried out in order to regain the homeland. The book is divided into four substantial chapters: the historical background, providing a review of pre-1959 political Tibet a theoretical section which covers the critical position of exile organizations an examination of the exile Tibetan community and government from the early years an analysis of crucial CTA policies.Innovative and unique, this book combines a political science approach with Tibetan studies to analyse exile-Tibetan politics in particular, and exile governments in general.

"This book is unusual, and welcome, because it studies the Tibetan movement in relation to India, in contrast to the usual preoccupation with China. The book leaves the impression that the major challenge faced by the CTA is not regaining autonomy in the Homeland, which is still the ultimate goal, but keeping the movement alive. The book is a timely contribution to the existing literature on the subject. It successfully counters the homogeneous image of the Tibetan movement and brings out several layers of difference. The general perception is that there is one homogeneous Tibetan government in exile. But after reading this book it becomes quite apparent that, although the Dalai Lama and the CTA are two separate entities, the former exercises some de facto authority over the latter. The result is a very welcome and informative account of the Tibetan government in exile." - Gunjan Singh, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, India; Contemporary South Asia, Vol. 18, No. 4, December 2010

Stephanie Roemer received her PhD from the Free University Berlin, Germany.  Her research interests are political developments in contemporary South Asia with a special emphasis on migration and refugee studies.