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CAW: Dzongkha, GNH and the Hegemonic in Bhutan: Manufacturing Nationalism and Transnational Belonging Through Language

Presentation by Brian Young, Department of Anthropology

Thursday, January 23, 2020
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM



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Abstract:

This paper is based on fieldwork in Bhutan conducted across several months in 2014 and 2015. Bhutan is a country going through significant change due to new development programs proposed by the government. As part of the process, the government has introduced nationalization efforts that have affected interactions among linguistic communities and that have made Bhutanese citizenship signify the dominant ethnic/linguistic group, at the exclusion of others.

National and transnational forms of belonging are both constructed through legal language in Bhutan. At a national level, the government’s recent efforts at nationalization include the adoption of an official national language, Dzongkha. This national language is required of all citizens, even ethnic minorities who did not previously speak the language. The language of the dominant group becomes hegemonic, and ethnic minority languages such as Brokpahka, Mompa, and Sharschop are marginalized. 

 

 

The Central Asia Workshop is an interdisciplinary discussion group sponsored by the UCLA Program on Central Asia. The goal of the workshop is to encourage graduate student research on Central Asia by creating a space where students and interested faculty can discuss research, theory and ideas with others who have experience or interest in the region. The workshop is a forum for exploring recent research and classical and contemporary theoretical perspectives that inform work in Central Asia. Weekly discussions are led by members on a rotating basis, and topics are determined by group interests.

For information about joining the Central Asia Workshop, contact the organizers at caw@international.ucla.edu.