| Contents |
Introduction. Theory at home and in the field -- Dharamsala: a resting place to pass through -- "There is a tension in our hearts": constructing the rich cultural heritage of Tibet -- Taking refuge in (and from) India: film songs, angry mobs, and other exilic pleasures and fears -- The West as surrogate Shangri-La: rock and roll and Rangzen as style and ideology -- The nail that sticks up gets hammered down: making modern Tibetan music -- "Little Jolmo bird in the willow grove": crafting Tibetan song lyrics -- A peek through ragged tent flaps and Heaven's door: concerts that rupture and bond -- Conclusion. Echoes, cycles, and their implications. |
| Abstract |
In this book, the author uses music to understand the experiences of Tibetans living in Dharamsala, a town in the Indian Himalayas that for more than forty years has been home to Tibet's government in-exile. Her absorbing narrative argues that the exiles' focus on cultural preservation, while crucial, has contributed to the development of essentialist ideas of what is truly "Tibetan." As a result, "foreign" or "modern" practices that have gained deep relevance for Tibetan refugees have been devalued. The author scrutinizes this tension in her discussion of the refugees' enthusiasm for songs from blockbuster Hindi films, the popularity of Western rock and roll among Tibetan youth, and the emergence of a new genre of modern Tibetan music. The author's insight into the soundscape of Dharamsala is enriched by her own experiences as the keyboard player for a Tibetan refugee rock group called the Yak Band. Her groundbreaking study reveals the importance of music as a site where official and personal, old and new, representations of Tibetan culture meet and where different notions of "Tibetan-ness" are being imagined, performed, and debated. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 291-308) and index. |
| LCCN | 2001005934 |
| ISBN | 0520230434 (cloth : alk. paper) |
| ISBN | 0520230442 (paper : alk. paper) |
