Exile from the Grasslands

"Exile from the Grasslands is a monumental work for understanding the socio-economic and cultural transformation that has taken place in recent decades among Tibetan nomads in western China."

"[A] well-balanced account of Tibetan pastoralists’ responses to, and experiences of, Chinese development projects."

"In a refreshingly clear fashion, the author untangles and traces the often-overlapping paths of policies from the top levels of the central government to the local levels ofimplementation. In this regard, Exile from the Grasslands will be a welcome addition for introducing undergraduate and graduate students to development policy in Tibetan areas of China."

"Ptáčková examines the competing explanations of why the grasslands have deteri-orated since the incorporation of Tibet into the Chinese state. What emerges from her analysis is a clear statement that while recent land-use activities by some pastoralists have contributed to the situation, the often unintended but nevertheless real conse-quences of Chinese state policies themselves and their inconsistent implementation and often contradictory goals are primarily to blame."

"Ptáčková’s work is a valuable source of information about current state-led development and transformation in Zêkog, Amdo Tibet. This book will undoubtedly be of interest and value for scholars, students and practitioners working in the fields of rural development studies."

"Ptáčková’s brief work takes a complicated web of history, culture, dreams of modernity (by both the state and its people) and deftly crafts a discussion that informs readers of any level of the issues facing Tibetan herding communities as China faces the expanding impacts of climate change, global economic chaos, and more."

"Promises to become a core text on the impacts of development policy in China and on modernization in Tibetan pastoralist societies. The scholarship is impeccable, offering a major contribution to knowledge about a place and a topic that are very difficult to research."

"Ptáčková discerningly combines extensive ethnography with unique access to government documents—revealing the mixture of well-intentioned policies, negative outcomes, and human desires involved in yet another radical transformation of Tibetan rural lives under the purview of an all-powerful state."