著者

Dorji Louisa

出版者

京都産業大学

雑誌

京都産業大学論集 人文科学系列 (ISSN:02879727)

巻号頁・発行日

no.32, pp.122-132, 2004-03

---

The Kingdom of Bhutan, situated in the Eastern Himalayas and sandwiched between India and China, is relatively isolated and little-known internationally. It is visited by no more than 7,000 foreign tourists per year. A landlocked country with a mountainous terrain and a basic infrastructure, it has, nevertheless, undergone considerable development since the 1960s. The most significant developments in terms of infrastructure have been the building of two main roads to connect the main towns on an east-west axis and a north-south axis, the ongoing extension of the electricity supply to towns across the country and the provision of telephone connections nationwide. In terms of social and cultural developments, a modern, English-medium education system was introduced in the late 1950s and employment was provided for the graduates from this system in the growing bureaucracy. In recent years, efforts have been made to develop a private sector in order to create new employment opportunities for the growing number of educated youths. Modernization has brought little physical change to everyday life in the countryside. Subsistence farming is still the norm, modern machinery is almost completely absent and a cash economy is still in a rudimentary stage of development outside the towns. In the towns and the countryside alike,people are still guided by the moral wisdom and psychological support of the Buddhist monks, who hold a revered position in society. Traditional life is, therefore, still very much in evidence. However, nowhere is left completely untouched by the developments that have been taking place inside and outside the country. This article is based upon my own observations and interviews with people during the many times I have spent in Bhutan since 1993. It gives a very general overview of how tradi-tional and modern aspects of life are blended in contemporary Bhutanese society. It considers aspects of life and traditions that have scarcely changed in centuries as well as examining areas where modern developments clash with traditional ways of life and create issues that will need to be addressed into the future. The article also discusses the kind of policies a modern, developing nation implements in order to strengthen a sense of national identity based on traditional culture and values.