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The Changing World of Rural Tibetearliest times down to 1951. (Now the Tibet Autonomous Region)...
Transcript of The Changing World of Rural Tibetearliest times down to 1951. (Now the Tibet Autonomous Region)...
The Changing World of Rural Tibet
Melvyn C. Goldstein, Ph.D.J.R.Harkness Professor, AnthropologyCo-Director, Center for Research on TibetCase Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
First, a caveat. It is hard to generalize about the Tibet Plateau
Political Tibet-- The Tibetan government has ruled continuously from the earliest times down to 1951. (Now the Tibet Autonomous Region)
Ethnographic Tibet– Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan, Yunnan--“Areas where the Tibetan race once inhabited exclusively and where they are still in the majority‘ … [and where] political' Tibet exercised jurisdiction only in certain places...” (Richardson, 1984: 1-2)
The Tibetan plateau is vast -– about 1000 km by 2500 km, 2.5 million square kms. This is about 8 times the size of Norway.
My Research Sites are in the Tibet Autonomous Region
NOMAD: PalaIn 2005- a total of 30 households and 154
individuals [fieldwork 1986-2009]
FARMING: Shigatse-Panam area 3 farming villages in a study reexaminingthe “Aging and Modernization” theory:
relatively rich (more developed)relatively middle (mid developed)relatively poor (less developed)
In 2005-a total of 335 households and 2325 individuals [fieldwork 1997-2009]
The farming area: Much of traditional culture and values are intact
But technological change is increasing
The Farming Dilemma: after decollectivization, gradually not enough
profit from farming
• 1. farmland is owned by state; land was divided equally at end of commune and households can not buy and sell land.
• 2. decrease in farmland/per capita and per household due to floods, population growth, family fission, use of farmland for housing sites, eminent domain.
• 3. value of grain is low: overall prices have increased 323% since 1985, but the farmers’ main crop, barley, has declined when controlled for inflation.
• 4. reduction of government subsidies, e.g., health care, foods.
• 5. difficult to increase crop yields further since farmers already apply large amounts of fertilizers , insecticides, etc.
• 6. demand for manufactured goods and other non-traditional items has increased dramatically.
Adaptation: A New Paradigm: “Going for Income”
Length of time away: 1-2 months to 11 months
Location: All over Tibet including Western Tibet, Kongpo, Nagchuka, Shigatse and Lhasa
Types of Work: Manual labor, skilled labor, various entrepreneurial activities (construction teams, truckers)
Going for (Non-Farm) Income
2009- outside Shigatse city
2009- remote nomad county
The proportion of males and females going for income 1997-2005.
Males Females
1997 2005 1997 2005Poorvillage
20-29 18% 69%(+284%)
7% 32%(+357%)
30-39 25% 72%(+188%)
2% 17%(+750%)
Midvillage
20-29 28% 64%(+129%)
3% 28%(+833%)
30-39 29% 64%(+121%)
7% 28% (+300%)
Richvillage
20-29 na 63% na 14%30-39 na 71% na 22%
Non-farm income dominates the hh economy:Mean Income per household, 2005
Village Site
Farm income
Non-farm income
Rich 5,323 ¥ 19,161 ¥(79% of total)
Middle 1,954 14,113(86% of total)
Poor 778 5,861(86% of
total)
Incipient “Entrepreneurial Transition”: % workers by job category
Job category Rich village
Middle village
Poor village
Manual labor 27.3% 41.2% 66.1%
Skilled labor, vehicle driver/ owner, businessman
62 52 23
Government 3.7 4.2 4.7
Other 7.5 2.3 5.8
Nomadic Pastoralists of Pala:A Different Adaptation
TRADITIONALNOMADIC WAY OF LIFECONTINUES
1st houses, 1986 1st motorcycles 2003-51st cell phones, 2008
But also major changes
1st houses, 1986-87
Rich nomad’s house, 2005
Substantial increase in the quality of life
1987
2005
Despite houses, the nomads have not become sedentary. In summer, e.g., some nomads prefer to live in tents which they pitch in front of their houses, and in fall, all lock up their houses and move for 3 months
Source of this nomad prosperity is not “going for income,” but increases in the price of nomad products, e.g., 1986-2005
Percent Change
Sheep +650%Yak +655%Goat Cashmere
+669%
Yak Skin +1200%Sheep Skin +208%Goat Skin +246%Sheep Wool +131%Yak Wool +91%
Barley in farm areas
+100%
RECENT CHANGE for RURAL TIBET:The “People-First” development approach of the 11th Five Year Plan (2006-2010) in the TAR—about 100 billion RMB allocated
— An emphasis on social development and quality of life versus primarily GDP
— An emphasis on development projects and programs aimed at reaching village households directly
— Target of raising rural per-capita income to national average
GOAL: internal strategy to win rural Tibetans’ loyalty to the nation without making an agreement with the Dalai Lama and without meeting other grievances, e.g., monasteries
“Comfortable Housing Program”— 3.2 billion RMB allocated in TAR
Target = 80% of all rural hhs → construction boom
Houses Built-Renovated since 2006 in study sites
Farming Sites
2006-09 # new houses
%
poor 42 46
middle 52 42
rich 51 55
total 145 47
Farming: Total government cost for the 145 houses in the 3 farm villages = ~1.6 million yuan (~$238,000) [47% of hhs]
Nomad: Total cost for 225 new Houses in the nomad xiang =5.5 million yuan (~$820,000) [50% of hhs]
Almost of this money throughout the TAR is going to villagers who are building the houses
Increasing non-farm income: “The Chicken Fattening” Program
Our own data show the total government cost: 1 village – 1.8 million yuan ($240,000); 5 villages = 9 million yuan ($1.2 million)
In Conclusion, we find: rapid change and adaptation
rural folk are not marginalized and passive--There is increasing integration into the economic marketplace and marked material improvement; shift in attitude to education
culture and religion in tact–Rural Tibet is not being assimilated; it is gradual acculturating at its own pace to modern society
Will Beijing’s “People First” strategy win over Tibetans? Too early to say!
The End.Questions?
All photos taken in 2005
All pictures © Melvyn Goldstein. Please contact for permissions before use.