Bhutan

There is a misty-eyed vision of Bhutan which has popularized it as 'the lastShangri-la', the hidden Himalayan jewel, the travel destination of celebrities andunique-experience-hunters. We are not entirely comfortable with this image.Bhutan has undoubtedly become the focus of considerable media atten [...]
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There is a misty-eyed vision of Bhutan which has popularized it as 'the lastShangri-la', the hidden Himalayan jewel, the travel destination of celebrities andunique-experience-hunters. We are not entirely comfortable with this image.Bhutan has undoubtedly become the focus of considerable media attention in thelast few years. Articles appear regularly on its substitution of happiness for moneyas the indicator of the country's wealth. Television programs, books, visits by personalities - all have served to bringBhutan to global awareness. This attention only serves to increase pressure on the culture to become like any other. Howhas Bhutan resisted the impact of globalisation which has had such a homogenizing affect on most other countries in theworld?A practice, until recently, of self-imposed isolation from the rest of the world, the Buddhist tradition, and the lack of anysuccessful foreign invader have combined to produce a living culture that is as unique as it is fragile. This fragilitysuggested the need to document a context that seemed on the verge of change. Our second visit in 2008 confirmed oursense of immanent change, as we could see for ourselves the ways in which 'international culture' was beginning to appear: the first escalator in the country, widening the main road from single track to dual carriageway, the first democraticelection, the availability of satellite television, and internet expansion... Nevertheless, we continue to feel that in Bhutanthere is a different 'way of knowing.' We have worked with staff at the University to try to capture something of this inthree different forms: chapters written by Bhutanese individuals about the culture, landscape, education and folklore extracts from interviews with university staff and associates to draw outparticular characteristics of Bhutan which would be of interest to Westernreaders photographs of Bhutan which provide a different 'view' of the country tocomplement the text.The subject matter has been chosen by Bhutanese staff at the Royal University ofBhutan as an expression of theirunderstanding of their own land. There areconventional travel books about Bhutanavailable and we have not attempted tocontribute to this literature. Bhutan: Ways ofKnowing is a book which reflects Bhutaneseunderstanding of their country. We hope thatyou will find these contributions asinteresting and thought-provoking as we do, and that you, too, will find a different way ofknowing about Bhutan.