Thinking with things: Objects and identity among Tibetans in the Twin Cities.

摘要

This dissertation explores the role of meaningful material culture in the lives of Tibetan immigrants in Minnesota. In a community that is barely ten years old, Tibetans wrestle with the challenges of adapting to a new setting while working to preserve and present a culture that they feel is threatened in their homeland. Using visual documentation, participant observation, and interviews, this study examines key processes and creations that illustrate the dynamics of Tibetan-identified material culture: the private, domestic home altars that are intentionally concentrated, highly meaningful tools for religious practice; clothing that incorporates familiar and unfamiliar, practical and communicative elements; the interplay of objects and meanings at community gatherings; the experiences of Tibetans skilled in material arts who may or may not be able to continue their work in this new setting; and Tibetans who earn a living by selling objects identified with their culture.;The negotiation of public and private display proves to be a source of both anxiety and unexpected opportunities, as formerly hidden or restricted material forms have, by necessity or choice, become visible. Within the restrictions of American apartment forms, economic life, or expectations about dress, Tibetans creatively find ways to honor religious obligations, continue artistic traditions, and present distinctive markers of identity. Through outwardly-oriented demonstrations, festivals, and culturally-themed stores, they engage with the surrounding community through vivid religious and artistic material forms, raising awareness of the situation in Tibet while inventively-reemphasizing the importance of traditional material culture for themselves. By concentrating on the religious and cultural lives of laypeople in a new exile community, this dissertation contributes to the existing literature on Tibetan traditional arts and religion, immigrant culture in the United States, diasporic identity, and the cross-cultural transformation of folklore.