Cultural Hybridity of the India-Born Tibetans in Sikkim

Abstract

This paper examines the evolution of cultural identity within the Tibetan community, specifically focusing on the Indian-born younger generation Tibetans currently residing in Sikkim. Records of previous studies on the Tibetan exile experience have centred on the preservation of culture and identity as a form of political resistance. However, this paper is based on the cultural hybridity emerging among younger Tibetans.

Drawing on Homi Bhabha’s concept of “cultural hybridity”, this study utilises a qualitative methodology incorporating quasi-ethnography and observations using semi-structured interviews. The paper aims to explore their linguistic, food and other socio-cultural aspects that shape hybrid identity and culture in exile. The findings suggest that by blending traditional Tibetan values with Western and Indian influences, Tibetan youth are not experiencing cultural erosion. Instead, they are engaging in a strategic hybridity that ensures the survival of Tibetan culture and identity, revealing a structure and agency relationship. The paper concludes that this hybrid cultural identity serves as a powerful coping mechanism in allowing a population of displaced backgrounds to negotiate and maintain their social existence in society.