Westernization And Modernization In Bhutan

Introduction: Bhutan, a small Himalayan Kingdom tucked between India and China only recently opened its doors to the outside world. Before 1961, it had purposefully remained isolated in an attempt to maintain it’s traditional, unique and Buddhist society. During its time of self-imposed isolation, Bhutan was able to observe the effects of westernization on neighboring countries such as Nepal and India. These countries welcomed foreign influences without any restrictions and lost a great deal of their traditional practices. As a result, the Bhutanese were aware of what distinguished them from other Asian or Buddhist societies and consciously tried to preserve their distinctive Cultural practices and traditional values.
Therefore, Modernization has enhanced the living standards of the peoples; however, there are losses of traditional values such as dress, Religion, language due to tourism and advance technology. Bhutanese unique national dress has been depleted due to the practicing the aspect of modernization and Hollywood lifestyles. For examples, when walking around the streets in Thimphu, one aspect of modernization that has affected the generations in Bhutan can easily be observed. While many of the older women still wear the kira, the national dress of Bhutan, it seems like the youth will only wear it when it is required and will change into Western clothing as often. From this opinion on the use of the national dress, most of the ancestor seemed to prefer the