Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington. / Includes bibliography.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Toronto, 2005.

Mental health in the Tibetan refugee community has been studied extensively; but like most research on political violence, these studies focus almost exclusively on trauma. We know little about those who manage to thrive and what kinds of sociocultural practices enhance their resilience. This dissertation, "Spacious Minds, Empty Selves: Coping and Resilience in the Tibetan Exile Community" investigates how Buddhism and other sociocultural factors support coping and resilience among Tibetan refugees living in Dharamsala, India. In contrast to other work that focuses exclusively on trauma, the aim of this project was to examine the broad range of reactions to political violence, exploring how people thrive in the face of adversity. Drawing on 14 months of extended participant observation and 80 in-depth interviews conducted in the Tibetan language, this project investigates how communities through social processes cope in the context of political violence and resettlement. The study draws upon and aims to extend theory in three distinct but overlapping areas: 1) trauma and resilience; 2) the anthropology of memory and temporality; and 3) the transferability of interventions across cultures. The dissertation argues that the Tibetan concept of resilience is more an active process than a personality attribute. Seeing emotions as impermanent and changing, Tibetans living in exile are reticent to dwell on distress, which seems only to stagnate or prolong suffering. Rather than processing the details of traumatic events, members of this community attempt to transform distress through cultural practices that emphasize compassion and impermanence. Many forms of coping in Dharamsala work to create a greater sense of spaciousness, openness and flexibility within the mind--qualities associated with resilience and wellbeing. In practicing flexibility, the durability of negative emotions is diminished, such that the encoding of trauma is derailed and disrupted. The contribution I make involves using a "resilience imaginary" as a fruitful site for pushing the boundaries of how we understand human freedom and agency.

In 2000, Tim Ingold argued: 'people do not import their ideas, plans or mental representations into the world, since that very world ... is the homeland of their thoughts. Only because they already dwell therein can they think the thoughts they do' (2000: 186). He thus stressed the importance of place in the construction and reproduction of culture. How does this play out, however, among refugees who by virtue of their displacement must 'import' cultural concepts into alien environments? For those outside a 'homeland' how do they make sense of the world? In this thesis I examine the relationship between Tibetan refugees, the landscapes of their exile and their wider material environment. Drawing on theory in material anthropology and thirteen months' ethnographic fieldwork conducted in two contrasting Tibetan refugee settlements in northwest India, I analyse how Tibetan refugees are affected by, and in turn exert agency over their material world. Through this discussion, I reflect on the multiple and mutable meanings of home for Tibetan refugees, many of whom were born and/or raised in India. Few scholarly discussions of home encompass both its affective and imaginary dimensions; this thesis achieves this by focusing on the material and aesthetic aspects of home. Through this lens, I explore how refugees both work hard to develop a sense of home in exile, yet simultaneously destabilise this by orienting themselves towards an imagined home in a future 'free Tibet'. The discussion unfolds thematically, through chapters focusing on several material categories: landscape, the built environment, dress and objects. I develop my analysis via existing theoretical literature in material anthropology and its sub-disciplines, transnational and migration studies, and area-specialist literature in Tibetology.

This study explored how Tibetan refugee women have coped with the possible trauma they experienced in Tibet and when escaping from Tibet. It also examined how these women envisioned peace between Tibet and China and what meanings they constructed about the violence they may have experienced.Twelve Tibetan refugee women were interviewed in New York City. They came from all three regions of Tibet and their mean age was 35.5 years old. Only two participants were fluent in English. A qualitative semi-structured interview was employed to understand participants' unique experiences with past trauma and any continued repercussions. The interviews also assessed how participants envisioned peace between China and Tibet and if they believed peace was at all possible. An interpreter assisted with all the interviews.The data were analyzed using grounded theory methodology; with the help of two research assistants. This methodology offered the best opportunity to investigate the participants' understandings of their experiences and their beliefs. Using the constant comparative method, the results revealed the role of participants' religion, their belief in karma, and communal support as keys in their adjustment and mental health. Additionally, the women reported feelings of loss, fear, and loneliness, but not anger or hostility. The participants also revealed, however, feelings of relief and safety leaving the threat of imprisonment or torture behind in Tibet. Further, the women expressed feelings of appreciation for their freedom and their ability to hope for a better future for themselves and their families.The results suggested that there are some specific cultural variables that helped these Tibetan refugee women navigate the course of leaving Tibet and moving to a new country. Additional studies are needed to more fully comprehend the effects of trauma on the migration of Tibetan refugee women. Such studies can help further explain the relationship between trauma and culture-bound expressions of distress. Other implications (e.g., provision of services) of the current findings are discussed, as are several limitations to the study. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services