The Intertextuality of Sgrung and the Question of Social Authority

Based on Derrida’s notion of genre participation and Briggs and Bauman’s theory of the intertextuality of genres, this article reassesses emic and etic definitions of sgrung, with the aim to propose its classification as a Tibetan intertextual genre that is in dialectic confrontation with history (lo rgyus). It analyzes the interdependent relationship between social groups and cultural production to understand the articulation of genres and authority in contemporary sgrung narration performed in a Tibetan community located in Amdo (Qinghai, PRC).