Voices from Exile: Exploring Tibetan Nationalism and Identity Among Tibetan Refugees Living in India

Abstract

This study examines the concept of a nation, the construction of national identity, and individuals’ acts of nationalism in the name of a nation, through the lens of the Tibetan refugee population. Twenty-nine semi-structured interviews were conducted to provide context for these questions. The recorded data shows that the Tibetan refugee population’s identification with their geographical and religious features forms the basis of the Tibetan national identity. It is seen that this identification evokes a sense of collective national trait among the Tibetan community, symbolising the preferred personality characteristics of a genuine Tibetan. Further, the community’s shared belief in historical and cultural homogeneity, spiritual faith in leadership, and consciousness of belonging to a refugee group gives them a determined reason to free Tibet from the suffering of foreign occupation. Such factors eventually guide the refugee Tibetans to conceptualise and exercise Tibetan nationalism from exile. © 2025 Verma et al.