A comprehensive search through the available literature regarding changes in culture in Bhutan turned up a dearth of information on academic research into actual changes being recorded. However, a great deal of
Cline-11
information of an anecdotal nature and non-academic reporting by major publications both within Bhutan and throughout the world was successfully retrieved. The best academic resource on this subject is the Center for Bhutan Studies, which specializes in analyzing GNH, while the most comprehensive non-academic material came from the PBS Frontline website.
One especially helpful article from the Center for Bhutan Studies described the effects globalization, specifically consumerism, television and the Internet, are having on traditional folklore. Bhutan has a rich oral history because for most its history only the elite could read and write; with the advent of new technologies such as television, radio, and outside cable programming, these oral traditions are breaking down such that much of the folklore and mythology in even rural areas is not being passed along sufficiently to the younger generations, who often spend hours in front of the television or playing video games rather than listening to elders recall stories. The article suggests a combined approach to save this oral history from extinction, including such things as creating an online database of written, audio and video collections of the thousands of local and regional histories and stories, as well as creating a line of children’s books to help pass the stories to the next generation (Dorji, T.C. 2009).
Another notable resource is the PBS: Frontline World exposé “Bhutan – The Last Place” (May 2002) which analyzes the country three years after the advent of television and the Internet through a series of articles, interviews,
Cline-12
and videos. While the anecdotal accounts are telling, perhaps the most striking takeaway is the growing cultural gap between the conservative, tradition-bound older population and the more liberal, world-hungry youth. While outside contact in this formerly closed society was limited to postal mail, snatches of radio transmissions from neighboring countries, and the occasional international newspaper, with the introduction of both television and the Internet massive changes were already being seen in the culture of the youth just three years later, as well as the growing concern of their parents and other elders. From 1999 to 2002, youth were already shirking their studies to watch television when their parents weren’t home, children and young adults were dressing in Western clothing and modeling themselves after figures seen on MTV and the World Wrestling Federation, and young children know more about Bugs Bunny and Superman than traditional characters from folklore (Perspectives 2002).
Another excellent resource is the Vanguard (Current TV) documentary video “The Last Shangri-La” (2008) which examines both what was then a brand-new democracy and the effects of both economic and cultural globalization, including television and the Internet, on the country of Bhutan. This fascinating in-depth documentary looked at both rural and urban regions and found that cultural change is pervasive throughout the country wherever television and the Internet have reached, and even in the thus-far remote parts of the country that have no electricity or access to the
Cline-13
Internet, dramatic changes are already being seen due to leakage from other parts of the nation. In the larger cities, youth violence and gang activity, something Bhutan had never experienced before, is on the rise. Similarly, drug abuse and trafficking is becoming a problem. Children are spending increasing time in front of television, and the most popular programs among the youth are professional wrestling and cartoons, which they often re-enact in mock play, which has many parents quite disturbed. Even in rural areas which have yet to be reached by television and the Internet, consumerism is on the rise as is the increasing use of Western slang. On a more positive note is the increasing use of the Internet for learning activities and improving language skills as well as instant communication with family members across the country as well as abroad (Putzel 2008).
In a different article by Lorien Crow (2011), Facebook is seen as a valuable tool to bring attention to troubles and issues in Bhutan, such as a Facebook page launched by an activist in protest to the three-year prison sentence a Buddhist monk received for possessing about $3.00 worth of tobacco. The anti-tobacco issue is a major point of contention in the country and many are seeking to have the National Assembly repeal the law. The use of Facebook and other social media is on the rise in Bhutan and while it used to be thought to be in poor taste (and in some cases even illegal) to openly criticize the government, today under a democratic leadership social
Cline-14
media is changing this formerly strongly-held belief rapidly, especially among the youth.
On the subject of democracy and its affect on the culture of Bhutan, a well-documented paper by Tashi Wangchuck (2004) explored the likelihood that democracy would be accepted by the people of that country. He found that while there was much trepidation among the people at the upcoming transition, in fact the Bhutanese people were already prepared for democracy on a large scale. He argues that Buddhism is a democratic religion by nature as it espouses the idea that all people are intrinsically equal and free. In addition, the vast majority of the population lives in small villages and elect a village leader as well as make village-wide decisions by consensus through a zomdu, or village meeting similar to American New England town halls. It is Wangchuck’s belief that it is not democracy the Bhutanese people fear, but the extension of representative democracy beyond the local level which they feel may diminish their ability to handle their own affairs. Craig Simons (2007), Linda Leaming (2007), Laurie Goering (2008), Mian Ridge (2008), and many other sources report similar trepidation but also the cautious acceptance of democracy taking hold more rapidly than the people expected prior to the transition (Asia 2008).
A number of documents discussed the impact of democratization on traditional Bhutanese culture. While most focused on the trepidation aspect, a few burrowed down into what is essentially the Bhutanese government’s
Cline-15
“dirty little secret,” a cultural and ethnic cleansing performed in the early 1990s when nearly 100,000 ethnically-Nepalese Bhutanese citizens were expelled from the country and ended up in Nepal refugee camps, when many thousands still remain. While the government holds to an official line that it was due to the actions of Maoist rebels in the southwestern part of the country, in fact the majority of the people expelled from the country had committed no acts against the government other than being of Nepalese ancestry. The turn to democracy has resulted in a renewed call for repatriation of a people who had lived in Bhutan since the nineteenth century who were removed in a effort many describe as a way to maintain cultural purity that was denounced by many nations around the world (Asia 2008; Bajoria 2008; Lamitare 2011; Sengupta 2007).
A number of sources describing the transition to democracy in Bhutan related a troubling factor in the democratic process itself: partisan politics. Democracy is a messy, often fractious way of running things, but even though the king agrees with the messiness of it all he retains faith in the Bhutanese people to make it work. The partisanship of politics is especially troubling to the psyche of the Bhutanese, who by nature are a non-confrontational and agreeable people who are used to calm discussion of issues and ways of resolving them. In particular, Fawcett (2011), Goering (2008) and Simons (2007) point out that democracy, especially politics, is throwing many people for a loop; while the two political parties created have
Cline-16
virtually the same platforms, the candidates often get contentious with one another over who promised what, who can deliver on their promises, whether this or that candidate is trustworthy or is buying votes, and in some cases whether despite the king’s wishes to have the Bhutanese people be a democracy whether the candidate is going to rely on the advice of the king anyway to run the country. All of this back and forth, especially the heated debates and occasional name-calling, is quite jarring to the Bhutanese culture which is renowned for its peacefulness and tranquility. There is a very real question whether the practice of democracy itself may end up changing this fundamental aspect of Bhutanese culture
ค้นหาที่ครอบคลุมผ่านเอกสารอ้างอิงที่มีเกี่ยวกับการเปลี่ยนแปลงในวัฒนธรรมในภูฏานเปิดขึ้นขาดแคลนของข้อมูลเกี่ยวกับการวิจัยทางวิชาการเข้าสู่การเปลี่ยนแปลงที่เกิดขึ้นจริงถูกบันทึกไว้ A comprehensive search through the available literature regarding changes in culture in Bhutan turned up a dearth of information on academic research into actual changes being recorded. However, a great deal of
อย่างไรก็ตามการจัดการที่ดีของไคลน์Cline-11
ข้อมูลของธรรมชาติและการรายงานประวัติไม่ใช่ทางด้านวิชาการโดยสิ่งพิมพ์ที่สำคัญทั้งภายในประเทศภูฏานและทั่วโลกถูกดึงประสบความสำเร็จ ทรัพยากรทางวิชาการที่ดีที่สุดในเรื่องนี้คือศูนย์การศึกษาภูฏานซึ่งมีความเชี่ยวชาญในการวิเคราะห์ information of an anecdotal nature and non-academic reporting by major publications both within Bhutan and throughout the world was successfully retrieved. The best academic resource on this subject is the Center for Bhutan Studies, which specializes in analyzing GNH, while the most comprehensive non-academic material came from the PBS Frontline website.
หนึ่งในบทความที่เป็นประโยชน์โดยเฉพาะอย่างยิ่งจากศูนย์การศึกษาภูฏานอธิบายผลกระทบโลกาภิวัตน์ โดยเฉพาะการคุ้มครองผู้บริโภคโทรทัศน์และอินเทอร์เน็ตที่มีต่อชาวบ้านแบบดั้งเดิม ภูฏานมีประวัติในช่องปากที่อุดมไปด้วยเพราะส่วนใหญ่ประวัติศาสตร์เพียงชนชั้นสูงสามารถอ่านและเขียน กับการถือกำเนิดของเทคโนโลยีใหม่ ๆ เช่นโทรทัศน์วิทยุและการเขียนโปรแกรมสายนอกเหล่านี้ประเพณีในช่องปากจะทำลายลงเช่นที่มากของชาวบ้านและตำนานแม้ในพื้นที่ชนบทไม่ได้ถูกส่งต่อกันมาพอที่จะรุ่นน้องที่มักจะใช้เวลาหลายชั่วโมง อยู่หน้าโทรทัศน์หรือเล่นวิดีโอเกมมากกว่าที่จะฟังผู้สูงอายุจำเรื่องราว One especially helpful article from the Center for Bhutan Studies described the effects globalization, specifically consumerism, television and the Internet, are having on traditional folklore. Bhutan has a rich oral history because for most its history only the elite could read and write; with the advent of new technologies such as television, radio, and outside cable programming, these oral traditions are breaking down such that much of the folklore and mythology in even rural areas is not being passed along sufficiently to the younger generations, who often spend hours in front of the television or playing video games rather than listening to elders recall stories. The article suggests a combined approach to save this oral history from extinction, including such things as creating an online database of written, audio and video collections of the thousands of local and regional histories and stories, as well as creating a line of children’s books to help pass the stories to the next generation (Dorji, T.C. 2009).
Another notable resource is the PBS: Frontline World exposé “Bhutan – The Last Place” (May 2002) which analyzes the country three years after the advent of television and the Internet through a series of articles, interviews,
Cline-12
and videos. While the anecdotal accounts are telling, perhaps the most striking takeaway is the growing cultural gap between the conservative, tradition-bound older population and the more liberal, world-hungry youth. While outside contact in this formerly closed society was limited to postal mail, snatches of radio transmissions from neighboring countries, and the occasional international newspaper, with the introduction of both television and the Internet massive changes were already being seen in the culture of the youth just three years later, as well as the growing concern of their parents and other elders. From 1999 to 2002, youth were already shirking their studies to watch television when their parents weren’t home, children and young adults were dressing in Western clothing and modeling themselves after figures seen on MTV and the World Wrestling Federation, and young children know more about Bugs Bunny and Superman than traditional characters from folklore (Perspectives 2002).
Another excellent resource is the Vanguard (Current TV) documentary video “The Last Shangri-La” (2008) which examines both what was then a brand-new democracy and the effects of both economic and cultural globalization, including television and the Internet, on the country of Bhutan. This fascinating in-depth documentary looked at both rural and urban regions and found that cultural change is pervasive throughout the country wherever television and the Internet have reached, and even in the thus-far remote parts of the country that have no electricity or access to the
Cline-13
Internet, dramatic changes are already being seen due to leakage from other parts of the nation. In the larger cities, youth violence and gang activity, something Bhutan had never experienced before, is on the rise. Similarly, drug abuse and trafficking is becoming a problem. Children are spending increasing time in front of television, and the most popular programs among the youth are professional wrestling and cartoons, which they often re-enact in mock play, which has many parents quite disturbed. Even in rural areas which have yet to be reached by television and the Internet, consumerism is on the rise as is the increasing use of Western slang. On a more positive note is the increasing use of the Internet for learning activities and improving language skills as well as instant communication with family members across the country as well as abroad (Putzel 2008).
In a different article by Lorien Crow (2011), Facebook is seen as a valuable tool to bring attention to troubles and issues in Bhutan, such as a Facebook page launched by an activist in protest to the three-year prison sentence a Buddhist monk received for possessing about $3.00 worth of tobacco. The anti-tobacco issue is a major point of contention in the country and many are seeking to have the National Assembly repeal the law. The use of Facebook and other social media is on the rise in Bhutan and while it used to be thought to be in poor taste (and in some cases even illegal) to openly criticize the government, today under a democratic leadership social
Cline-14
media is changing this formerly strongly-held belief rapidly, especially among the youth.
On the subject of democracy and its affect on the culture of Bhutan, a well-documented paper by Tashi Wangchuck (2004) explored the likelihood that democracy would be accepted by the people of that country. He found that while there was much trepidation among the people at the upcoming transition, in fact the Bhutanese people were already prepared for democracy on a large scale. He argues that Buddhism is a democratic religion by nature as it espouses the idea that all people are intrinsically equal and free. In addition, the vast majority of the population lives in small villages and elect a village leader as well as make village-wide decisions by consensus through a zomdu, or village meeting similar to American New England town halls. It is Wangchuck’s belief that it is not democracy the Bhutanese people fear, but the extension of representative democracy beyond the local level which they feel may diminish their ability to handle their own affairs. Craig Simons (2007), Linda Leaming (2007), Laurie Goering (2008), Mian Ridge (2008), and many other sources report similar trepidation but also the cautious acceptance of democracy taking hold more rapidly than the people expected prior to the transition (Asia 2008).
A number of documents discussed the impact of democratization on traditional Bhutanese culture. While most focused on the trepidation aspect, a few burrowed down into what is essentially the Bhutanese government’s
Cline-15
“dirty little secret,” a cultural and ethnic cleansing performed in the early 1990s when nearly 100,000 ethnically-Nepalese Bhutanese citizens were expelled from the country and ended up in Nepal refugee camps, when many thousands still remain. While the government holds to an official line that it was due to the actions of Maoist rebels in the southwestern part of the country, in fact the majority of the people expelled from the country had committed no acts against the government other than being of Nepalese ancestry. The turn to democracy has resulted in a renewed call for repatriation of a people who had lived in Bhutan since the nineteenth century who were removed in a effort many describe as a way to maintain cultural purity that was denounced by many nations around the world (Asia 2008; Bajoria 2008; Lamitare 2011; Sengupta 2007).
A number of sources describing the transition to democracy in Bhutan related a troubling factor in the democratic process itself: partisan politics. Democracy is a messy, often fractious way of running things, but even though the king agrees with the messiness of it all he retains faith in the Bhutanese people to make it work. The partisanship of politics is especially troubling to the psyche of the Bhutanese, who by nature are a non-confrontational and agreeable people who are used to calm discussion of issues and ways of resolving them. In particular, Fawcett (2011), Goering (2008) and Simons (2007) point out that democracy, especially politics, is throwing many people for a loop; while the two political parties created have
Cline-16
virtually the same platforms, the candidates often get contentious with one another over who promised what, who can deliver on their promises, whether this or that candidate is trustworthy or is buying votes, and in some cases whether despite the king’s wishes to have the Bhutanese people be a democracy whether the candidate is going to rely on the advice of the king anyway to run the country. All of this back and forth, especially the heated debates and occasional name-calling, is quite jarring to the Bhutanese culture which is renowned for its peacefulness and tranquility. There is a very real question whether the practice of democracy itself may end up changing this fundamental aspect of Bhutanese culture
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