The Tibetans

by Matthew T. Kapstein

This book provides a clear and comprehensive introduction to Tibet, its culture and history. A clear and comprehensive overview of Tibet, its culture and history. Responds to current interest in Tibet due to continuing publicity about Chinese rule and growing interest in Tibetan Buddhism. Explains recent events within the context of Tibetan history. Situates Tibet in relation to other Asian civilizations through the ages. Draws on the most recent scholarly and archaeological research. Introduces Tibetan culture–particularly social institutions, religious and political traditions, the arts and medical lore. An epilogue considers the fragile position of Tibetan civilization in the modern world.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

384 pages, Hardcover

First published October 6, 2006

About the author

Matthew Kapstein is a scholar of Tibetan religions and Buddhism at the University of Chicago Divinity School. One of his study areas has concentrated on Tibetan culture and the influence of China's invasion.

Reviews

[Mesoscope · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book offers what is to my knowledge the only complete general historiography of Tibet from its prehistory to the present day. It's competently written and paints an extremely valuable portrait of the Land of Snows, and should most certainly be read by anyone with an interest in Tibetan culture who still subscribes to a romanticized view of pre-invasion Tibet as a peaceful Shambhala of gentle, enlightened monks and cheerful nomads going about their lives in simplicity and quiet. Of course the real story is far more complicated - the Tibetan region is vast, borders several great and highly distinct regions (Central Asia, India, and China), and is subject to all the movers of history that drive events in any land, including factional politics, oligarchs, warlords, peasants, and so forth.

Anyway, it's not the purpose of this review to summarize its contents, but simply to recommend it as the best and only available source for the general reader who wants a survey of Tibetan history. Kapstein is a competent scholar, but he writes in wooden prose and his translations are stilted and utterly devoid of beauty, so I would stop short of hailing this book as a classic of the literature. But it's a much-needed contribution to the field, and there are few non-specialists who will come away from this book without substantially revising at least some aspect of their understanding of the region.

[Geoffrey Cobb · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit dry but a good background on Tibet