Paper short abstract

This paper draws on a new understanding of the dynamic process of intra-migration that has been, until now ,overlooked in the Bhutanese context. It sets out an overview of a range of different intra-migrations that reconfigured the human and linguistic landscape of Bhutan.

Paper long abstract

When speaking of migrations in to Bhutan, the term evokes either the ancient migrations of the early historical period (8th-9th century) from Tibet or the recent 20th century migration from Darjeeling and Sikkim by different peoples regrouped under the blanket term of "Nepali". However, Bhutan has a rich linguistic mosaic that reflects a longer, more cultural complex of process of movement and settlement.

In this paper, I turn to address the different intra-Bhutan migrations that have occurred since the 11th century until the present. These intra-migrations within Bhutan and from among the various linguistic groups were, and indeed are, of a different nature from either the early migration from Tibet or the more recent migration from Darjeeling and Sikkim. These intra-migrations reflect a range of reasons and complex histories: transhumance, taxes, search for new lands for cultivation, as well as, religious.

In my paper, I will provide an overview of these migrations which have reconfigured the human and linguistic landscape of Bhutan across the centuries. This paper draws on a new understanding of the dynamic process of intra-migration that has been, until now ,overlooked in the Bhutanese context. It aims to provide a more accurate and dynamic image of Bhutan that challenges the static one generally reported by the casual observer.