Modern Ladakh: Anthropological Perspectives on Continuity and Change. Edited by Martijn van Beek and Fernanda Pirie. Leiden: Brill, 2008. x, 314 pp. $147.00 (cloth) (original) (raw)
Related papers
This is the list of contents and introduction to a special issue on Ladakh published by the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives. The volume contains a total of 11 papers on broadly ‘Tibetological’ themes, including the region’s political and religious history, contemporary development and social issues, and Ladakhi understandings of colour. Most of the papers were presented at the 16th international conference of the International Association for Ladakh Studies (IALS) in Heidelberg in April 2013, together with two additional contributions from Rob Linrothe and Nawang Jinpa.
Modern Ladakh : anthropological perspectives on continuity and change
2008
The modern history of Ladakh has been profoundly shaped by influences from South Asia and beyond. In detailed empirical case-studies the contributors document and analyse change and continuities in this region brought about by colonialism, independence and modernisation. In an introductory review essay highlighting emerging themes and continuing debates in the scholarship on Ladakh, the editors argue for the need to situate Ladakh in an Indian and South Asian context, while also taking into account its cultural, linguistic and historical ties with Tibet. Studies from the neighbouring (sub)regions of Kargil, Ladakh, Zangskar and Baltistan are brought together to make an important contribution to the anthropological and sociological literature on development and modernity, as well as to Ladakh, Tibetan and South Asian studies.
Anthropological Dimensions. Global Research Publication: New Delhi. ISBN 978-81-8387-658-2, 2013
One man’s peace differs from that of the other. Here in this context it is the process of advocating and preferring mutual interest over the individual profits. Peace is the ways of survival in an unfriendly and foreign environment, without getting hurt. Until now, when there were no currency notes and coins to initiate business and earn profit, the economy was based on mutual exchange in articles of interest, profit was equal on two sides, the salt, spices and silk were exchanged in return of the cattle stock and grains. As simple it could ever get. During all these processes of cultural adjustments and physical adaptations, it was never all joy and progress, there were difficult times. The interaction of Tibetan speaking individuals with the local communities of McLeodganj and nearby area has been always a problem, andthen the most difficult task of culture adjustments, of likes and dislikes, falling within the prohibitions norms and regulations. Do’s and Don’ts all have to be kept in mind according to the guidelines of local customs.
Rahul Sankrityayan, Tsetan Phuntsog and Tibetan Textbooks for Ladakh in 1933
Himalaya: The Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies, 2020
Historically, Ladakh has shared a common literary heritage with Tibet. The spoken language is closely related to Tibetan and in earlier times both Buddhist religious texts and administrative documents were writen in Tibetan script. However, the region has been politically aligned with South Asia since the mid-19th century. Nearly half its indigenous population are Muslims, and its inhabitants have been exposed to a range of other linguistic infuences, notably from Urdu, Hindi and English. Successive generations of local scholars have therefore struggled with the question how best to preserve and promote Ladakh’s literary connection with the wider Tibetan Buddhist cultural arena. In this essay we show how the Indian scholar and social activist Rahul Sankrityayan (1893-1963) sought to meet this challenge, working together with his Ladakhi colleague Tsetan Phuntsog (1907-1973). In 1933 the two men compiled a set of four readers and a grammar. The books were innovative in that—unlike traditional Tibetan educational materials—they were graded according to the levels of achievement of children studying in diferent classes. Moreover, they were printed by the Baptist Mission Press in Calcuta (Kolkata) using a font developed by a Christian missionary. The contents included original articles and poetry by Ladakhi authors, as well as selections from Aesop’s fables, local folksongs and extracts from the work of the Tibetan lama Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyaltsen (1182-1251). The language is literary Tibetan rather than Ladakhi colloquial. The essay is based on a close examination of the readers and the grammar, as well as associated archival materials. It begins with a review of earlier Western-style Tibetan-language textbooks before presenting a detailed analysis of the contents of the 1933 books. In conclusion, we review more recent linguistic developments in Ladakh. Ladakhi textbooks in Tibetan script are still aligned with literary Tibetan rather than the spoken language.