Identity insecurity in Tibetan uprising
The Tibetan resistance against China lasts for almost five decades. It is essential to take a closer look at the strategies and goals Tibetan freedom fighters have implemented in their struggle.
Research by Tsering Topgyal points out the identity insecurity has been at the heart of the Tibetan struggle. Their sense of identity is especially salient for Tibetans, as seen in their unique language, clothes, food, art, and other cultural practices. Apart from persecuting Tibetan activists, the Chinese were on a mission to carry out an identity genocide. They wanted to strip Tibetans of their unique cultural identity and expected conformity with Chinese culture. Therefore, identity insecurity can be understood as when one's identity is threatened, that is, there is a chance this identity will not be secure; then, according to Togpal, activists were even more motivated to fight for the cause.
Understanding their resistance motivation is useful to categorise it into public & private acts of resistance and military & non-military strategies. There was a divide seen even within the Tibetan diaspora between people who fight for complete independence and others satisfied with greater autonomy.
Despite the divisions, the most crucial factor connecting the nation is loyalty towards the Dalai Lama and fears for the survival of Tibetan identity.