Islamic Shangri-La: Inter-Asian Relations and Lhasa's Muslim Communities, 1600 to 1960 / Edition 1

by David G. Atwill

Overview

A free ebook version of this title is available through Luminos, University of California Press’s Open Access publishing program for monographs. Visit www.luminosoa.org to learn more.

Islamic Shangri-La transports readers to the heart of the Himalayas as it traces the rise of the Tibetan Muslim community from the 17th century to the present. Radically altering popular interpretations that have portrayed Tibet as isolated and monolithically Buddhist, David Atwill's vibrant account demonstrates how truly cosmopolitan Tibetan society was by highlighting the hybrid influences and internal diversity of Tibet. In its exploration of the Tibetan Muslim experience, this book presents an unparalleled perspective of Tibet's standing during the rise of post–World War II Asia.
 
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780520299733
Publisher:	University of California Press
Publication date:	10/09/2018
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	258
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

David G. Atwill is Associate Professor of History at Penn State University where he teaches a broad range of courses on China, Tibet, and world history. His previous books include The Chinese Sultanate: Islam, Ethnicity, and the Panthay Rebellion in Southwestern China, 1856–1873 and Sources in Chinese History: Diverse Perspectives from 1644 to the Present. 
 
 

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations ix

Acknowledgments xi

Chapter 1 Boundaries of Belonging 1

Chapter 2 Confronting the Unexpected 13

Chapter 3 How Half-Tibetans Made Tibet Whole 34

Chapter 4 Himalayan Asia 65

Chapter 5 The Tibetan Muslim Incident of 1960 92

Chapter 6 Prisoners of Shangri-La 123

Glossary 157

Notes 165

Works Cited 213

Index 231

Editorial Reviews

"Professor Atwill deserves credit for bringing attention to a fascinating minority group in Tibet, one that had been neglected in many histories of Tibet."

China Review International

"For those in Tibetan studies, Atwill’s work provides a serious challenge to uncritical definitions of a timeless ‘Tibetan’ identity and will provide as many questions as it does answers. Outside of those interested in the Himalayan region, this work will also appeal to cultural historians and those interested in the processes by which the categories of religion, ethnicity, and nation mutually inform and constitute one another across time and space."

Religious Studies Review

"Atwill’s contribution to this specialized field is substantial and includes insightful discussions of several important topics."

Journal of the American Academy of Religion

"Atwill provides an illuminating look at the history of state-formation Himalayan Asia itself."

Pacific Affairs

"Islamic Shangri-La is a pioneering work in the study of Tibetan Muslims and an indispensable contribution to the growing literature and scholarship in Tibetan borderlands studies."

LSE Review of Books