More than 100 Tibetans have self-immolated since 2011 — including monks and nuns, farmers and nomads, adults and teenagers. The Chinese government blames the “The Dalai Lama Clique.” Meanwhile, Tibetans hope that the self-immolations will bring global awareness to China’s policies towards Tibet.
Jeffrey Bartholet looks at the human and political dimensions of the burnings — their meaning, their possible impact, and the battle over who controls the narrative. He also explores the peculiar history of self-immolation, and the related debate among some Tibetan Buddhists about whether they constitute acceptable or unacceptable violence.