Paper short abstract:

This paper focuses on the dynamics of the discourses, practices, and resulting self-presentation and propaganda strategies employed by the new Tibet Museum in Dharamshala. Attention is paid to the narratives related to Tibetan Buddhism and the technologies used by the institution.

Paper long abstract:

The Tibet Museum in Dharamsala, India, is the only one in the world directly under the supervision of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile (Central Tibetan Administration, CTA). In the twenty years of its existence, it has undergone various changes - the most significant being the institution's relocation from the Tsuglagkhang temple complex (in McLeod Ganj) to the area of CTA's buildings in Dharamshala. An entirely new permanent exhibition was also created: from the original "A long look homeward", which aimed to reflect the Tibetan people's memories of the horrors of the Chinese occupation through the rhetoric of "catastrophic witnessing" (Keränen et al., 2015), a completely new one, "I am Tibetan, this is my story", emerged. This exhibition not only aims to tell the story of human rights violations, oppression and environmental destruction, but it also focuses its narratives on Tibetan identity, culture, language, history, and the experience of exile to counter the official Chinese agenda.

Drawing on data from two fieldworks (2019, 2022), which were subjected to discourse and propaganda analysis, in this paper, I aim to show how self-presentation and propaganda strategies have changed at this institution, what role themes of Tibetan Buddhism play in these narratives, and what technologies this museum uses in its efforts to influence its visitors.