The Problem with Cultural Genocide

The first major problem is that cultural genocide is not genocide. It’s a dramatic and emotive way of talking about assimilation.

The British tried assimilation in Ireland for centuries with a great deal of success. Although they failed to wipe out Catholicism, they effectively eliminated the Irish language. (Of course they alternated between assimilation and good old-fashioned genocide – Cromwell, the famine etc.) But despite their success in converting the Irish to “civilised” dress and language, the English still had to get out when their time was up. Dalai Lama and assorted Tibetan nationalists please note.

The second problem with the cultural genocide slogan is that it is manifestly at odds with the reality on the ground. Everywhere you go in Tibetan regions you see temples being lovingly restored, not just as tourist attractions, but with the full and enthusiastic participation of the Tibetan people, who donate their money and labour. In many places it seems that half the male population are monks. There are pictures of the Dalai Lama everywhere and everyone asks foreigners have they met him. The impression is not of a culture on the verge of extinction as was the case during the Cultural Revolution but of a resurgent people, growing in confidence; with the confidence, precisely, to stage a revolt.

Of course there are the necessary compromises with the authorities, such as ritually expressing loyalty to the Chinese state, denouncing “splittists” and so on. The portraits of the Dalai Lama are taken down when bigwigs visit and immediately put back up when they leave. But the Irish paid this sort of lip-service for centuries without losing their identity.

The third and biggest problem with the Cultural Genocide slogan is that it directs the anger of the Tibetan people not against the Chinese government, but against minorities in Tibet such as the Han and Muslim traders who bore the brunt of the March 14 violence. The energies of the people are concentrated not on achieving political freedom in a modern state, but on recreating the fantasy-land of Shangrila. At a time when even Bhutan is opening up and adopting democracy, an independent Tibet can’t expect to hide behind a cloud curtain. It should be made clear to Hans and Muslims that they are welcome in Tibet.

The great Irish Rebellion of 1798 was led by Theobald Wolfe Tone, a radical Protestant inspired by the ideas of the French Revolution. The revolt was scuppered when the mass of Catholic peasants rose and massacred Protestant settlers, allowing the British to exploit Ireland’s ethnic division. The most famous peasant leader was the courageous but narrow minded priest Father Murphy.

Tibet has its share of Father Murphy’s. It is still waiting for its Wolfe Tone.