Change in the land use system in Bhutan : ecology, history, culture, and power /

Includes bibliographical reference.

Abstract
In this two part analysis I attempt to answer questions with
reference to historical land use and tenurial systems in
Bhutan. The first part throws light on the popularly held view
that land tenure in Bhutan was feudal prior to the advent of
moderisation. By looking at the lived experiences of peasants
in Bhutan, as human agents at the nexus of social, political,
economic, and ecological forces, a nuanced and complex
picture of land use systems in Bhutan emerges. I argue that
in contradistinction to a feudal tenancy mode, historically
land has been held in private for the most part although other
arrangements existed alongside private property ownership.
Monastic estates, and estates belonging to the handful of
nobility were worked by tenured serfs and slaves.
In part II, I have tried to build an analytical framework for an
alternative explanation to feudalism in Bhutan. Rather than
relying on the 'Tibetan model' and the 'empty land model'
which are closely linked, I instead build a layer model for the
explanation of land use systems in Bhutan.