article
Reexamining choice, dependency and command in the Tibetan social system: 'tax appendages' and other landless serfs
Tibetan journal • XI (4) • Published In 1986 • Pages: 79-113
By: Goldstein, Melvyn C..
Abstract
The author examines Tibetan social structure and serfdom and argues that despite the flexibility of the system and opportunities for social mobility, serf-like social relations did exist in Tibet, albeit different than the feudal West. The author examines the understanding of serfdom in the West and the literature that argues for a non-serf Tibetan society. He then examines in detail the estate/serf system based on seven case studies. The Tibetan serf, or MISER, may not be directly tied to the land but his labor is controlled by the the lord through a human-lease, tax appendage system.
- HRAF PubDate
- 2010
- Region
- Asia
- Sub Region
- Central Asia
- Document Type
- article
- Evaluation
- Creator Type
- Ethnologist
- Document Rating
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- Analyst
- Ian Skoggard; 2009
- Field Date
- 1985
- Coverage Date
- 1925-1985
- Coverage Place
- central Tibet
- Notes
- by Melvyn C. Goldstein
- Includes bibliographical references (p.111-112)
- LCCN
- 76913244
- LCSH
- Tibet (China)--Ethnology