November 15, 2025Past & PresentOpen Access

Tibetan Gift-Giving, British Indifference, and the Erasure of Provenance in Colonial India

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The gifting culture reflects colonial indifference, affecting reciprocal expectations in diplomatic exchanges.
British colonial administration disregarded the significance of Tibetan gift-giving, complicating cultural relations.
Analysis of the British Toshakhana reveals how diplomatic gifts were mishandled and often lost, erasing their provenance.
This disruption calls for reevaluation of how historical gift exchanges inform our understanding of artefacts in museums.

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The article demonstrates how colonial attitudes disrupted reciprocity in gift exchange, highlighting British indifference to the Tibetan diplomatic gift.

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Emma Martin (2025) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69251994c0ce034ddc353691 https://doi.org/10.1093/pastj/gtaf032

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Implication

The article demonstrates how colonial attitudes disrupted reciprocity in gift exchange, highlighting British indifference to the Tibetan diplomatic gift.

Tibetan Gift-Giving, British Indifference, and the Erasure of Provenance in Colonial India

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Cite This Study

Tibetan Gift-Giving, British Indifference, and the Erasure of Provenance in Colonial India

Key Points

Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

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