Tibetan and Himalayan Studies is turning twenty-one!
In 2000 the University of Oxford appointed Charles Ramble as Oxford’s first Lecturer in Tibetan and Himalayan Studies, a post created in memory of the late Michael Aris (1946-1999). Language training was provided by the much-loved Tibetan language instructor Tsering D Gonkatsang (1951-2018). When Charles was appointed Directeur d’Etudes at the EPHE in Paris, Ulrike Roesler came to Oxford as the Professor of Tibetan and Himalayan Studies. Tibetan language training is now in the capable hands of Lama Jabb, and George FitzHerbert is currently in charge of the Master’s programme.
There is every reason to celebrate! Over the past 21 years, Tibetan and Himalayan Studies has turned into a dynamic programme with M.Phil. and D.Phil. students from around the world working on a wide range of topics. The subject has established networks with other disciplines within the University and with the international community of Tibetan Studies scholars.
Oxford has hosted major academic events, including two conferences of the International Association for Tibetan Studies (1979 and 2003) as well as conferences on the oral and literary traditions of Tibet, the Tibetan military, the history of the Spiti valley, the Tibetan “treasure” (gter ma) tradition, the 5th Dalai Lama and his circle, and – in conjunction with Wolfson’s Life-Writing Centre – on Tibetan biography.
Wolfson College has become a hub for Tibetan and Himalayan Studies at Oxford through its interdisciplinary research cluster in Tibetan and Himalayan Studies, founded in 2012.
