Tibet under China's rule: Sinicization and the Threat of Cultural Genodice

Since its invasion by the People’s Liberation Army in 1951, Tibet has been continuously subjected to an assimilationist project led by the Chinese government, particularly under the ideology of the Chinese Communist Party, with the ultimate goal of absorbing what it considered a backward minority into the dominant Chinese mainland. This paper aims to analyze the violations and abuses suffered by the Tibetan people, while also situating their experience within the concept of “cultural genocide” and assessing whether this framework can be applied to their situation. Accordingly, the modern historical and political relations between China and Tibet will be examined to understand the events that led to Tibet's subjugation by China. Subsequently, the origin and meaning of “cultural genocide” will be examined, along with its close connection to the Indigenous peoples' movement, before being applied to the Tibetan issue. Finally, the concluding part of this research will explore one of the most recent examples of abuse employed by the Chinese government against the Tibetan people, serving as further evidence to support the “cultural genocide” perspective: the boarding school system.