Tsering Wangmo Dhompa. The Politics of Sorrow : Unity and Allegiance Across Tibetan Exile

The Tibetan diaspora is often described as a unified community with shared national and religious traditions, yet the reality has been shaped by persistent internal tensions.Following the 1959 uprising and the establishment of the Tibetan government in exile, a pan-Tibetan identity was promoted, privileging Central Tibetan norms and the Gelugpa school of Buddhism.Refugees from Kham, Amdo, and non-Gelugpa traditions often resisted this dominance, creating political and religious conflicts within the exile community.Episodes such as the Ockenden School mutiny of 1966 and the assassination of Gungthang Tsultrim in 1978 illustrate the depth of these divisions and the pressures to conform to the exile government's narrative of national unity.Despite these struggles, regional and religious diversity persisted, shaping the politics of exile.This work highlights how contested identities, suppressed histories, and competing loyalties defined the formative decades of Tibetan refugee life.