Unruly Tibetan Pastoralism

Why are Tibetan yak herders reluctant to kill more yaks to increase their cash income? What happens when the state promotes a new breed of yak – a hybrid of domestic and wild yaks? And is it really necessary to reseed Tibetan grassland? Based on 10 months of fieldwork, including months of living with yak herders at 4800 m altitude, participation in yak conferences, and conversations with governmental officials and Tibetan environmentalists, Siran Liang offers a first-hand account of how Tibetan yak pastoralism encounters state development and conservation. Focusing on production, domestication, and restoration, the study shows how herders, yaks and grasslands negotiate with and sometimes defy state plans.