Civilizational China vs. Local China -- The Implications of the Tibetan Studies in India and Australia

This dissertation aims to research the ‘image of China’ from Indian and Australian studies viz-á-viz the Tibet issue. This dissertation is based on historical analysis and qualitative interviews, and focuses on the following subjects: firstly, analysing the Tibet issue research and ‘image of China’ in Indian and Australian literatures; secondly, comparing and explaining the similiarities and differences; and thirdly, understanding the interrelations between the China Studies and Tibet Issue Studies of the two countries. Overall, we can panoramically examine how India and Australia consider Tibet and China.
What the author found was that Indian academia perceives Tibet as an individual subject like China and India, wheres Australian academia regards Tibet as a local subject in China. Furthermore, there are three ‘images of China’ from Indian scholars: the perspectives of international system, of civilizational politics, and of interrelational context. There are also ‘three images of China’ from Australian scholars: regarding China as a commonwealth, examining the relations between the Chinese state and ethnicities, and focusing on the local characteristics. The reasons can be concluded that the geological distance from Tibet and China, bilateral contacts with them in history and self-development experience of India and Australia.
All in all, the inspirations can be brought to the Sinology from Indian and Australian on Tibet issue studies. India mainly held as ‘See China through Tibet’ as she forms the perception toward China by its history experience. Australia regards China as a state of multiple entities and she ‘Sees China in Tibet’.