The Moral Economy of Cultural Identity: Tibet, Cultural Survival, and the Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage
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Au Tibet, alors que le Dalaï Lama dénonce un « génocide culturel » en cours, le Parti d’état chinois souligne ses efforts de sauvegarde et de promotion du patrimoine culturel tibétain. Partant de ces revendications conflictuelles relatives à la culture tibétaine, l’auteur montre que, au-delà des différentes significations de la notion de culture que ces revendications adoptent et des différents agendas qu’elle sert, ces discours se basent sur une rhétorique similaire mobilisant le patrimoine culturel en termes non seulement politiques et économiques, mais aussi moraux. à la fois la thèse du « génocide culturel » et les efforts supposés du Parti d’état s’inscrivent dans l’éthique politique encadrant la plus large question du Tibet ainsi que celle de la montée en puissance de la Chine dans le monde. Comment comprendre cette fusion de l’économique, du politique et du moral? Qu’arrive-t-il lorsque l’économie politique de l’identité culturelle (développement, tourisme, propriété et bénéfices) rencontre l’éthique politique de la survie du culturel? L’auteur plaide pour une nouvelle forme d’économie morale située au point de rencontre de « la survie du culturel » et de la « sauvegarde du patrimoine culturel », une économie morale de l’identité culturelle partageant la même structure que les cas classiques d’économie morale mais non leur forme et leur style.
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Since religious-based identification is strongly connected to Tibetan culture, Tibetans consider it a moral obligation to protect and preserve this culture.
“Since this religious-based identification is strongly connected to Tibetan culture, Tibetans consider it a moral obligation to protect and preserve this culture (Brox 2006; see also Saxer 2012: 69), which brings us back to the question of authenticity.”
From The Aesthetics of In/Authenticity: Buddhism, Commodification, and Ethnoreligious Belonging in a Sino-Tibetan Contact Zone (2021) · cites this paper as Saxer 2012: 69
In “Information Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China 1” (page unavailable), the paper describes safeguarding Tibetan culture as a moral question and quotes the Dalai Lama urging its protection. “The thanka ceremony at Drepung monastery during Shoton 2009” describes some Tibetans supporting cultural activities for moral and spiritual reasons. These passages do not establish that Tibetans generally regard preservation as a moral obligation because of religious-based identification. (LLM, conf=0.82)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredCultural commodification raises questions about authenticity and about who profits.
“Yet, as Saxer (2012: 77) points out, such cultural commodification raises questions about authenticity, as well as about who profits.”
From The Aesthetics of In/Authenticity: Buddhism, Commodification, and Ethnoreligious Belonging in a Sino-Tibetan Contact Zone (2021) · cites this paper as Saxer 2012: 77
Tibetan culture is under pressure.
“This entanglement of an ethnicized Buddhism and an economy must be understood in relation to what Martin Saxer (2012) calls a 'cultural subsistence crisis' among Tibetans. Tibetan culture is under pressure.”
From The Aesthetics of In/Authenticity: Buddhism, Commodification, and Ethnoreligious Belonging in a Sino-Tibetan Contact Zone (2021) · cites this paper as Saxer 2012
Authenticity is a crucial asset in the moral economy of cultural identity, so its creation, maintenance, and defense are logical strategies.
“In Saxer's words: 'As authenticity is a crucial asset in the moral economy of cultural identity, its creation, maintenance, and defense are logical strategies' (2012: 77).”
From The Aesthetics of In/Authenticity: Buddhism, Commodification, and Ethnoreligious Belonging in a Sino-Tibetan Contact Zone (2021) · cites this paper as Saxer 2012: 77
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- Authors
- Saxer, M.
- Affiliations
- National University of Singapore (SG)
- Corresponding author
- Saxer, Martin
- ORCID
- Saxer, Martin
- Venue
- Civilisations
- Publisher
- OpenEdition
- Published
- 2012
- Volume
- 61-1
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 65-82
- ISSN
- 0009-8140 (ISSN-L)
- 2032-0442
- OpenAlex
- W1905800725
- Cited by
- 13
- References
- 28
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 1 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 7.22
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Civilisations (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- OpenEdition (OpenEdition) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Civilisations
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Archeology › Cultural Identity and Heritage
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › China's Ethnic Minorities and Relations
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Archeology › Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation
- Keywords
- moral economy, cultural identity, Tibetan culture, cultural heritage, cultural genocide, Dalai Lama, Chinese state, political ethics, cultural survival, cultural tourism, cultural property, China's rise, Tibet
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