Melvyn C. Goldstein is John Reynolds Harkness Professor of Anthropology and Codirector of the Center for Research on Tibet at Case Western Reserve University, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.
Irregardless of his pro-China stance on Tibetan issues, Goldstein provides an insight into hidden aspects of Tibetan history few will ever delve into. This book altered my view on Tibetan politics and made me change my preconceived notions about the relationship of communism and Tibet.
This book was...so hard. BPW had diagnoses of the problems of Tibetan society, but they were predicated on a limited understanding of what tibet was. The reductionist class analysis, glorifying of China for being 'educated' and 'modern', and denigration of buddhism didn't sit well with me. His faith in ideology led him to believe the chinese (increasingly unreasonably as the book went on) when they said their project was communism & not colonialism. He looked to Soviet models of regional autonomy [though "autonomous republics" are lip service in colonial formations like the Soviet union], but still ultimately believed in Chinese sovereignty in tibet. I became more and more sad/mad at the self loathing & denial (when he says that the CCP will liberate tibet because they're not like the "old chinese" of the GMD, or actively facilitates the chinese invasion of central tibet - appendix B point 4 is most incriminating), but I still think the book is important for its insight into the turbulence and nuance of the time.
A fascinating and easy to read depiction of the life of Tibetan CCP member Phunwang. He founds the Tibetan Communist Party before the PRC is established, trying to do his best for the Tibetan people. It's his goal his whole life, although it's not always attainable despite his best efforts. The history of modern Tibet, as seen through his life, has obvious implications for Tibet today. It's one of those books that's hard to put down. However, I probably would have understood the book better if I had more a background in modern history of Tibet and the context in which Phunwang was living. The authors do a good job of explaining some of the things Phunwang's narrative does not, and adding in relevant outside sources, for example the Dalai Lama's memoir.
Phuntso's autobio offers a good look on the Tibetan issue from within the regime. He worked closely with the CCP and led the PLA to Tibet in 1951. He introduced CCP's in-theory egalitarian nationalities policies to Dalai, so much as Dalai started saying "I'm a Marxist". He served as Dalai and Panchen's interpreter in late 1950s and was purged after the Dalai's exile in 1959. Today when we look at the preamble of China's constitution, the fact that "equality" was there and precedes "unity" and "cooperative" in the nationalities part, owes much to Phuntos's lobbying, as he risked being thrown into jail again, where he used to spend 18 years in solitary confinement.
This was a very interesting story. It came about through a series of visits between friends and what struck me most was that, through these visits and recored talks, Bapa (the Revolutionary) kept saying how his life wasn't all that great and how he really didn't make that much of a difference in the end. Guess he was wrong. Check it out if you want a good read.