Emily Yeh's paper was awarded 鈥淎AG-Kaufmann Best Paper for Geography and Entrepreneurship鈥� for 2022.听
The cultural politics of new Tibetan entrepreneurship in contemporary China: Valorisation and the question of neoliberalism
础产蝉迟谤补肠迟:听
Over the past decade, new forms of Tibetan entrepreneurship have emerged and proliferated in China, at the intersection of a national push for entrepreneurship in response to a slowing economy, the closure of non-governmental organisations in Tibetan areas, declining state-sector employment, and state concerns about stability. This paper explores the rise of these new Tibetan entrepreneurs in relation to two inter-related concerns. First, it contributes to geographers鈥� calls for comparative studies of culturally specific meanings of entrepreneurship across the Global South. It explores the cultural politics of Tibetan entrepreneurship 鈥� active debates about what it means to be a proper Tibetan, in terms of religious commitments and cultural pride, in relation to money-making activities. Second, it analyses these in relation to critiques of neoliberal subjectivities associated with entrepreneurship. One of the key themes of Tibetan entrepreneurship is the effort to create economic value in the service of cultural value and a sense of self-worth for Tibetans living in rural areas. Thus, elements of the neoliberal self are sutured together with a sense of responsibility to Tibetan communities and historically sedimented idioms to form an entrepreneurial subjectivity that is broadly oriented to the project of revalorising Tibetan places and people.
Emily T. Yeh 2022. 鈥淭he cultural politics of new Tibetan entrepreneurship in contemporary China: Valorisation and the question of neoliberalism鈥�,听Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers.听47(1): 139-152.听
Thanks to a sponsorship from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the AAG announced two annual awards for promising research studying geography and entrepreneurship: one for听best paper听and one for听best student paper.听The purpose of this award program is to identify innovative research in business, applied or听community geography that is relevant to questions related to entrepreneurs and their firms as听well as to practitioners and policymakers. Research that has direct practical听implications and that addresses pressing environmental, economic and/or social problems is听especially appropriate for these awards.听The awards will be presented at the AAG Annual Meeting.
Prizes
Two awardees receive a check for $1,500, complimentary meeting registration, and a complimentary ticket to the AAG Awards Luncheon.听The runner up for each award will receive complimentary registration and a complimentary听ticket to the AAG Awards Luncheon.听Award winners and runners up will be invited to present their research in a session highlighting听geography and entrepreneurship.