A brief history of Bhutan. An identity and a common horizon around happiness as a political objective

Abstract

This paper makes a historical reconstruction of important events in the territory now belonging to Bhutan. The reconstruction covers events taking place up until the beginning of the 20th century, when the hereditary monarchy was established. A table will summarize the events described. Thus, this article seeks to fill a gap by taking a systematic, historical approach in the academic analysis of happiness, Buddhism and development studies in Bhutan. Not a single Spanish-language source could be found on this topic. Special attention will be paid to shifting moments in Bhutan’s history, setting up a discussion about so-called identity construction processes, especially those referring to happiness as a central political goal.