Refugee cross-cultural adjustment: Tibetans in India

There are currently over 15 million refugees displaced around the globe. These uprooted individuals face the crucial problems of placement and adjustment, the latter being the focus of this article. Specifically, Tibetan refugees in India have necessarily accepted the challenge of adjustment, given the different culture, language, religion, and ethnic background encountered-a situation characteristic of host communities in general. Their patterns of social organization in exile have made the Tibetans uniquely well-adjusted, with notable economic and social gains. This paper illustrates how the institutions of religion, the economy, education, and government have facilitated the adjustment of Tibetans to their environment in India, allowing them to serve as a model for other international refugees.