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.