The dichotomy of Tibetan women’s agency in the diaspora

The experiences and agency of ordinary Tibetan women in diaspora remain significantly understudied in existing scholarship. While existing literature focusses on Tibetan Buddhism and their political movements, this research centers the first-person narratives of Tibetan women, exploring how they articulate agency within their socio-political contexts. Using Qualitative approach, this study draws on personal narratives, oral histories, medias, and theoretical framework to examine Tibetan women’s agency beyond conventional resistance-based models. Instead, it reveals agency as a nuanced and complex phenomenon operating within religious, political, economic and gendered structures. Tibetan women’s agency is not solely expressed through defiance but also through small, everyday choices- including the decision to relinquish agency in certain context. This research challenges dominant notions of agency by demonstrating how Tibetan women operate through intersecting identities, beliefs, and social subjections and operate both within and outside these powers. By illuminating these complexities, this study contributes to broader discussions on gender, diaspora, power, subjectivity and agency offering critical insights into the lived experiences of Tibetan women in exile.