Serfdom in Tibet controversy

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The serfdom in Tibet controversy is a prolonged public disagreement over the extent and nature of serfdom in Tibet prior to the annexation of Tibet into the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1951. The debate is political in nature, with some arguing that the ultimate goal on the Chinese side is to legitimize Chinese control of the territory now known as the Tibet Autonomous Region or Xizang Autonomous Region, and others arguing that the ultimate goal on the Western side is to weaken or undermine the Chinese state. The argument is that Tibetan culture, government, and society were feudal in nature prior to the PRC takeover of Tibet and that this only changed due to PRC policy in the region. The pro-Tibetan independence movement argument is that this is a misrepresentation of history created as a political tool in order to justify the Sinicization of Tibet.^[1]

Despite such debate about the intention of Chinese descriptions of pre-Communist Tibet, it is known that the Tibetan class system divided the population hierarchically into laity (mi ser), noble laity (sger pa), and monks, with further subdivisions within the laity.^[2][3] There was also a caste of untouchables known as ragyabpa, who performed work that was considered unclean, including fishing, metalworking, and prostitution,^[4] much as with the Indian groups identified as dalit in the present day.

Chinese government claims commonly portray Tibet from 1912 to 1951 as a feudal society and both the 13th and 14th Dalai Lamas as slave owners. These claims further highlight statements by the PRC that, prior to 1959, 95% of Tibetans lived in feudal serfdom, and cite cases of abuse and cruelty which are allegedly inherent to the traditional Tibetan system.^[5]