Charles Ramble (EPHE, Paris)—Social History and Vampires: the Dark Continents of Tibetan Studies
1 December 2016
Leonard Wolfson Auditorium
Prof. Charles Ramble (EPHE, Paris): Social History and Vampires: the Dark Continents of Tibetan Studies
A well-known theme in Tibetan literature depicts the land as an area of benighted savagery, peopled by red-faced flesh-eating demons and an even larger population of malign autochthonous powers; the civilising power of Buddhism tamed the humans and their gods, and transformed the land into a fitting receptacle for the Good Law. Almost a thousand years after it was formulated, this story not only continues to provide a prism through which Tibetans view their own history, but it also influences research on Tibet in subtle but significant ways. This talk will support the case for looking beyond the dominant narrative to discern elements that might form the composition of a very different picture.
Prof. Charles Ramble is Directeur d'études at the École Pratique des Hautes Études (Sorbonne). He was the first to teach Tibetan and Himalayan Studies at the University of Oxford from 2000 until 2010.
