Muslims in Amdo Tibetan Society

Muslims in Amdo Tibetan Society is a richly detailed academic examination into the position of Muslims in Eastern Tibet, examining the historical, economic, political, religious, and linguistics aspects of Tibetan, Muslim, and Chinese interactions in this borderland. Marie-Paule Hille, Bianca Horlemann and Paul K. Nietupski offers a fresh, detailed and insightful perspective into Tibetan-Muslim relations in the region, and highlight new aspects of cross-cultural contacts and religious and linguistic influences.

This path-breaking volume assembles nine case studies which examine the role of Muslims in Amdo society from the perspective of several academic disciplines. In fact, each contribution reflects the scholars' personal involvement in the subject through his/her extensive fieldwork. This book is an important addition to the scholarly literature on Tibet and China area studies, especially since the editors have been able to include the most important Muslim groups of Amdo. In sum, the various contributions make an interesting read. I believe that this book will contribute to not only Tibetan Studies but also to the wider fields of Inner Asian Studies. Every chapter is useful and the collection itself a very valuable addition to the literature. This volume is moreover a foundational reading for anyone seeking to understand China's interethnic and interreligious intersections, especially anyone focusing on Muslims in China.

Muslims in Amdo Tibetan Society definitely stands as a landmark in research work about Inner Asia. First, because it focuses on the interspace between China and Tibet in Amdo, the most intriguing and obscure zone of the region known today as Gansu-Qinghai. Secondly, in a unique combination of talents and expertise, an international team of nine scholars discloses a wide-ranging scope of nearly untapped archives. Through such precious material--both oral and printed, kept in Chinese, Tibetan, Turkic Salar, Arabic and even Persian--the authors shed a new light on a number of disturbing issues about Tibetan-Muslim relationship in Amdo. They scrutinize, in context, the social, political, religious as well as linguistic practices and interactions between the two communities. In particular, the essential part played by merchants and tax collectors in this borderland setting is thoroughly looked into, from the days of Chinese imperial rule until the recent labour market reform. No doubt, Muslims in Amdo Tibetan Society will soon become a standard reference work amongst scholars.

Muslims in Amdo Tibetan Society opens a brilliant new chapter on Tibetan history. Shining new light on a neglected region of Tibet, the contributions to this volume demonstrate the diverse ways in which Islam intersects with Tibetan society through trade, culture and religion. Touching on a wide spectrum of topics--including Muslim warlords, Muslim traders at Labrang, and eloquent portrayals of Amdo's Muslim Tibetan ethnographic landscape--the authors offer persuasive and fresh insights that push beyond simple stereotypes of Islamic-Buddhist religious differences.

Muslims in Amdo Tibetan Society overall displays the richness of an edited volume. . . The book is, however, to be recommended to anyone interested in Tibetan studies and minority issues in China. It provides a truly interdisciplinary and extremely dense account of intercommunity interactions in the region.