Nomads' Tents in Tibet and Beyond Dwelling and Craft in a Sociotechnical Context

This book considers aspects of nomads' culture and craft traditions in Tibetan cultural areas with a research focus on Damzhung in Central Tibet from a range of scientific perspectives, including technical, spatial, environmental, economic, and social dimensions. The book also looks beyond the Tibetan plateau to compare nomadic craft traditions across other regions, including Mongolia, Iran, and Turkey, as well as furtherly selected regions of West Asia and North Africa, setting a focus on the architectural type of black hair tents. Processes of making, building and maintenance in nomadic societies are manifested in local craft traditions. These involve the entire community and are adapted to prevailing environmental conditions and anthropogenic factors. Technical knowledge and practical skills concerning a range of crafts are retained, honed, adapted and passed on within local currents of tradition, leading us to observe that dwelling practices and building crafts are processes that interact at the core of nomadic culture and daily life.