ABSTRACT
The question of Tibet has been neglected in the study of international relations (IR). Although Western infatuation with Tibet can be witnessed in the outpouring of support from prominent Hollywood stars and recent films like Seven Years in Tibet, the Tibet question has remained marginal in IR. I therefore seek to theorize the construction and expression of Tibetan (trans)nationalism, one crucial element of the Tibet question, within a wider argument for a postcolonial approach to IR. While arguing that the study of IR needs to have a dialogue with postcolonial theory to understand the complexity of the Tibet question in general, and the discourse of Tibetan diasporic (trans)nationalism in particular, this chapter also highlights the limits of current postcolonial theorizing. A redefinition of IR, which moves it beyond its conventional concerns, allows us to take on board the question of Tibet since “Tibetanness” is a typical postcolonial narrative of identity politics that combines processes of migration with the human desire for fixity.
