The Mirror of Orientalism: Images of Tibet in the Czech context

Abstract

This study deals with Orientalism, focusing on the main aspects of Tibet's
image in the West, and particularly within Czech society. The first part
summarises Tibetologists' and Buddhologists' previous research about
Western images of Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhism was
initially associated with efforts to distil the "real Tibet" from a mix of
romantic images. However, these "imagined Tibets" gradually became the
objects of scientific study themselves. Not only do they represent
contemporary states of knowledge, but they also reflect the values,
expectations, and anxieties of the authors, whether scholars, travellers, or
novelists (whose works often employ Tibet as an attractive setting). Tibet's
image is also considerably modified by the political situation at any given
historical moment. This article also deals with other images traditionally
associated with Tibet, for example its alleged "spirituality" and "wisdom",
showing that Western attitudes towards Tibet, its culture, and its religion
have not always been favourable. The beginnings of academic
Buddhological and Orientalistic research were noticeably marked by
rationalism and historicism, both of which viewed Tibetan Buddhism
("lamaism") as degenerate ritualism. The original Czech travel accounts
from the 1950s, which were supposed to document the political and social
changes in Tibet after the Chinese invasion, provide us with a negative
image of Tibet as a backward country, fettered by suspicion. The quantity
and diversity of the Tibetan images have increased considerably since 1989
to include accounts of the lesser-known side of Tibet, which has been
described as the land of omnipotent lamas. The article argues in favour of
continuous reflection and examination of such images to form our own
attitudes, since "images", however "imaginary", have a true impact on real
cultural and political relations.