Since the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the Tibetan people have been fighting for independence from China. My grandfather left Tibet in 1959, and his children eventually made their way to the US. Although I’m a member of the Tibetan diaspora, I grew up far from any Tibetan communities. So in 2019, when my friend suggested I join the San Diego chapter of Students for a Free Tibet (SFT), I was excited to get involved. China’s occupation of Tibet is the foremost political issue affecting Tibetans at large, so I wanted to learn about and advocate for the cause.
However, despite my interest in politics and the Tibetan community, I quickly lost interest in SFT. The meetings, events and actions were ineffective as they lacked organizational strategy and political nuance. From my experience, many Tibetans in the US diaspora call for Tibetan independence with nationalist fervor but lack a critical perspective, risking hypocrisy and ineffective action.
Within the Tibetan diaspora, I have observed the common sentiment of a dogmatic faith in Western institutions and a vilification of China. This narrative only serves to benefit imperialists in Western countries as well as in China. Tibetan activist organizations and supporters of Tibetan independence must apply a critical and intersectional framework to the cause. In order to achieve Tibetan independence, Tibetan activists must stand in solidarity with other anti-colonial and anti-imperialist movements.
The most glaring problem with the Tibetan independence movement (specifically in the US) is its relationship to imperialist forces, which isolates it from other anti-colonial and anti-imperialist movements. At first glance, the relationship appears to be reciprocal, but this is an illusion. In exchange for adopting hegemonic values and internalizing oppressive systems of power, Tibetans are granted slightly better treatment over other marginalized populations.
The relationship between the US and its Tibetan diaspora is historically rooted in the political tensions between Tibet and China. In the 1940s the feudalist Tibetan government began to side with countries such as the US and Britain in order to combat Chinese forces who claimed Tibet as a part of China. Western powers provided funding, arms and political support to the Tibetan government throughout the 20th century to combat the spread of communism. Today, Tibetan organizations graciously accept the support under the pretext of Tibetan independence and human rights, and in return they ignore the hypocrisy of these imperialist powers.
The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), a nonprofit organization that advocates for Tibetan independence and human rights in China, is a prime example of this uncritical faith in the US.
In a written testimony for a Congressional Hearing in 2022, the ICT stated, “[The US] has long opposed the use of force by one country against the sovereignty of another…”
This statement is blatantly untrue. In addition to the long history of colonization in the US, the government actively provides monetary and political aid to countries that violate international law (in addition to violating international laws itself) .
US support of Israel, a country that has been violating the sovereignty of Palestine since 1948, is a clear example of ICT’s hypocrisy. Since the escalation of the violence between Israel and Gaza earlier this month, there has been global outcry calling for a ceasefire and denouncing Israel’s collective punishment of Palestinians. Despite widespread condemnation, SFT and other Tibetan organizations have remained silent on the issue.
If Tibetans oppose colonization in Tibet, then they must also oppose colonization in Palestine. Failing to do so delegitimizes their political power as an anti-colonial movement, and allows Western imperialists to co-opt the Tibetan struggle for independence. What is supposed to be an anti-colonial movement becomes a counter-revolutionary tool, exploiting the “nonviolent” Tibetan identity to assert moral superiority over Chinese colonizers and discourage other revolutionary movements.
The fetishization of Tibetans in the US further separates them from other oppressed peoples. Mainstream media and popular culture often portrays Tibetans as spiritual and passive victims of Chinese oppression. This monolithic, orientalist characterization of Tibetan people makes it easy for Western audiences to romanticize about an exotic, faraway land, turning the issue into an abstract idea. Removed from reality, Western audiences are free to appropriate the culture and perform sympathy for the cause without guilt or the expectation of nuance.
Additionally, many Tibetans in the US have internalized the model minority myth, which portrays Asian Americans as exceptionally successful and high-achieving. Although it may seem progressive, the model minority myth reinforces the idea of our society as a meritocracy and eliminates historical nuance that contributes to people’s social and economic realities. Tibetans are not part of the higher socio-economic class in the US, but the model minority myth enables a racial superiority complex. As Tibetans strive for “success” as is defined by our capitalist society, they uphold the colonialist institutions and ideas they seek to change.
Because imperialism and colonialism are systems of capitalism, Tibetans must build solidarity with the international working class to combat them. Tibetan activist organizations like SFT must take the lead, educating and encouraging those in the Tibetan American community to build revolutionary socialism.
Nationalism, when harnessed by oppressed minorities, has the power to inspire and motivate people, bringing communities together around a common struggle.
Understandably, many are skeptical of nationalism because it has been used to justify violence and bigotry throughout history. Only through a collective and intersectional effort can we break free from the pitfalls of historical nationalism and build a future rooted in equality, justice and genuine empowerment for Tibetans and dispossessed communities alike. The Tibetan diaspora must engage critically, build solidarity with anti-colonial movements and strive for a nuanced, intersectional approach in the pursuit of Tibetan independence.
Contact Sabastian Luyen at luyen@oxy.edu
Great article!!!!
Very interesting piece, Sabastian!