ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides an overview of how Tibet as a subject has been researched and taught in universities and research institutes in India, China, Australia, and Singapore. It focuses on contemporary developments in China, the home of many Tibetans and the cradle of Tibetology. The book discusses the perceptual variations between Dharamsala, Beijing, and New Delhi. It shows that the political significance of Tibet in Sino-Indian relations has always granted Tibet a crucial role in China studies in India. The book describes the Tibet question, and also focuses on the painful process of learning and adopting the concept of sovereignty in China and Tibet, which in Chang’s view was imposed upon them by the established Western powers such as the United Kingdom and the United States.
