Circle of Tibetan and Himalayan Studies
During the past two decades, interest in the Tibetan and Himalayan civilizations has grown from a fringe phenomenon, led by a relatively small group of scholars and aficionados, to a major component in Asian Studies departments at universities worldwide. This has manifested itself in swelling numbers of students, a large volume of academic publications covering a broad range of facets of the cultures of Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, Ladakh, and Central Asia, a substantial public interest in exhibitions of Tibetan and Himalayan arts, as well as in an increasingly sophisticated level of discourse in the media.
* By ULRICH PAGEL
The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) announces the launch of the Circle of Tibetan and Himalayan Studies. In essence, the Circle is a collaborative initiative aimed at promoting, co-ordinating, and publicizing the study of Tibetan and Himalayan culture in London. For a variety of historical, political, and cultural reasons, London has long enjoyed a prominent place in Tibetan and Himalayan Studies. Apart from the scholarly focus provided by the SOAS, London is also the home of a number of important national collections of Tibetan arts, crafts, and literature. The British Library, for example, is the largest repository of Tibetan manuscripts and blockprints in the West. The British Museum contains many paintings, sculptures, and artefacts of great rarity and cultural importance. Furthermore, London stands at the centre of a burgeoning trade in Tibetan and Himalayan antiquities. Its galleries routinely exhibit some of the finest specimens of the region's art and attract many hundreds of visitors each year. In addition, London has become the politico-cultural hub for a wide range of non-governmental organizations concerned with the preservation of the Tibetan culture and the welfare of its people in India and Tibet.The aims and objectives of the Circle address a wide range of concerns: first, it serves to co-ordinate events and lectures pertaining to Tibet and the Himalayas in the greater London area. In spite of the pronounced interest in Tibetan and Himalayan cultures, there is no single forum in London to promote, co-ordinate, and integrate the diverse areas of personal and scholarly engagement with Tibet. Announcements of talks and seminars are often circulated to a restricted number of participants, exhibitions come and go without being brought to the attention of the resident Tibetological community, liaisons between galleries and, both scholarly and curatorial expertise, is rarely co-ordinated in a proper framework and often depends on personal contacts. In order to remedy this rather unsatisfactory situation, there is a strong case for the creation of a Tibetological centre open to all individuals, institutions, and interest groups concerned with the preservation and study of the Tibetan cultural heritage, having as its task to establish an arena for Tibetan studies and to provide regular lines of communication between its participants.
Once reliable channels of communication have been established, the Circle will then endeavour to integrate the various interests of scholars, curators, collectors, and aficionados in order to create a lively forum for discussion and intellectual debate. Particular emphasis will be given to education as it seeks to facilitate and increase student exposure to expertise held at the participating institutions. The intellectual focus of the Circle consists of a series of seminars and talks hosted by the School of Oriental and African Studies. The content of these presentations will cover a wide range of topics pertaining to Tibetan and Himalayan studies, including art, archaeology, architecture, history, language, music, and religion. In order to ensure adequate breadth and quality, the appointment of speakers will not be confined to residents of the United Kingdom, but include scholars from continental Europe and the United States. The seminars will take place at regular intervals and it is hoped to have at least four speakers per annum. Finally, the Circle's brief is to establish links with other seminars and research initiatives. Contacts have already been established with the Circle of Inner Asian Art (at SOAS) and the Shalu Project (Paris) as well as with a number of other projects in continental Europe and the US.
The inaugural lecture of the Circle took place during London's Asian Art Week on 13 November 2000 in the Brunei Gallery of the School of Oriental and African Studies. It was delivered by Prof. David Seyfort Ruegg, who spoke on research perspectives in the fields of Tibetan, Himalayan, and Inner Asian studies. Breathtaking in scope and in detail, the speech delivered by Prof. Ruegg discoursed on the cultural cohesion of the Tibeto-Himalayan regions and highlighted several themes that urgently demand scholarly investigation. Attended by well over 200 Tibetologists, collectors, and aficionados of Tibetan culture, the lecture constituted the de facto launch of the Circle's activities and laid the foundation for future events as well as for academic and institutional collaboration.
In order to enhance its profile and to promote inter-personal communication between its members, the Circle will seek to organize, when and if appropriate, public events structured around special exhibitions hosted by affiliated institutions, galleries, and supporters. Typically, these will be complemented by audiovisual presentations on selected aspects of Tibetan and Himalayan culture and may include musical or theatrical performances.
The bedrock of the Circle's funding comes from a group of patrons who seek to express their interest in and support for Tibetan and Himalayan studies through an annual subscription fee. Donations will be acknowledged publicly. General membership is free of charge. Additional funds will be raised from the participating institutions and through grant applications submitted to higher education funding bodies.
For information or inclusion on the Circle's mailing list contact:
Dr Ulrich Pagel is president of the Circle of Tibetan and Himalayan Studies at SOAS, London, UK
E-mail: cths@soas.ac.uk