Tibet and the British Raj
The Frontier Cadre 1904-1947
Alex McKay(Author)
RoutledgeCurzon (Publisher)
1st Edition
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-0-7007-0627-3 (ISBN)
Description
Despite the popular image of Tibet as a remote and inaccessible land to which few Europeans ventured, more than one hundred British-Indian officials lived and worked there during the years 1904-1947.
Following Colonel Younghusband's 1903-1904 mission to Lhasa, these officers and their supporting staff were posted in central and southern Tibet, and, after 1936-1937, at the British Mission Lhasa. Among those who rose to the senior positions there were such famous frontiersmen as Colonel F.M. Bailey, Sir Charles Bell, and Hugh Richardson.
This ground-breaking work draws on previously unpublished sources, both oral and written, to examine the character, role, and influence of these officers. It concentrates on those who formed a small, distinct, group of Tibetan specialists: 'the Tibet cadre'. These men were diplomatic representatives of the Raj, but they were also scholars, spies, and empire-builders, who not only influenced events in Tibet but also shaped our modern understanding of that land. This will be the definitive source for students of Anglo-Tibetan relations.
Following Colonel Younghusband's 1903-1904 mission to Lhasa, these officers and their supporting staff were posted in central and southern Tibet, and, after 1936-1937, at the British Mission Lhasa. Among those who rose to the senior positions there were such famous frontiersmen as Colonel F.M. Bailey, Sir Charles Bell, and Hugh Richardson.
This ground-breaking work draws on previously unpublished sources, both oral and written, to examine the character, role, and influence of these officers. It concentrates on those who formed a small, distinct, group of Tibetan specialists: 'the Tibet cadre'. These men were diplomatic representatives of the Raj, but they were also scholars, spies, and empire-builders, who not only influenced events in Tibet but also shaped our modern understanding of that land. This will be the definitive source for students of Anglo-Tibetan relations.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Weight
521 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7007-0627-3 (9780700706273)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Content
Introduction: to avoid incurring the hostility of the Chinese government; he may yet be an Indian ruling chief; an extremely mad scheme? a conversion almost as remarkable as Sir F. Younghusband; I became Tibetanised; growing up with a profound belief in the British Empire; the strange laboured breathing of men and mules; Tom-foolery on the Laden La, Tsarong and others in Lhasa on 1924; the weir years and the right hand of every political officer; passes to the heavenly fields; one distinct forward move; Gartok: edge of empire; keeping the Tibetans happy; they've all got something special about them; we want a united Tibet; nothing left to which objection could be taken.