A Tibetan Revolutionary
Discussion Questions

1. One looking at a single individual's life it is instructive often to try to discern turning points. These key junctures were not necessarily apparent at the time but with hindsight take on greater significance. In your groups, select 4 key turning points in Phunwang's life.

2. Goldstien and Seibenschuh include at several points in the book quotes from the Dalai Lama's autobiography Freedom in Exile. Does this alternative perspective offer any insight into the narrative that Phunwang himself presents?

3. At several points in the book, Phunwang claims that greatest problems between China and Tibet were ones of ethnic (or cultural) misunderstanding. Do you fully agree with is? Why or why not?

4. Prior to the arrival of the CCP officials in Tibet, Phunwang expends considerable energy on how to foment revolution and ideological change. Yet, after 1950, Phunwang's role shifts. In what ways do they shift and why?

5. "Local nationalism" was a serious charge in the PRC (and remains so today). What exactly is "local nationalism" and why do you believe it was one of the key suspicions leveled against Phunwang?

6. At the end of the book, do you believe that Phunwang feels he has accomplished his goals? How do you think tibet