Modern Tibetan Studies Hub

Serving the academic community interested in modern Tibet is a major priority for the MTSP. The MTSP team believes this is best achieved through creating and promoting the efficient use of diverse academic resources. This is often most effectively achieved through collaborative partnerships. To this end, MTSP has developed ties with institutions such as the Rubin Museum, the Treasury of Lives, the Latse Library, the China Institute, the Asia Society, and other New York organizations related to Tibet. Numerous conferences have been co-sponsored with these local partners, including four conferences at the Rubin Museum of Art and a major international conference with the Trace Foundation: the Third International Conference on Tibetan Language, held over five days at Columbia University in December 2011.

The Program has also initiated new collaborations with several institutes at Columbia University in order to better reach out to other disciplines and connect modern Tibetan studies to the scholarly discussions of global issues. Collaboration with Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory allows us to deepen the discussion on climate change in Tibet by linking it to global research and conversations on climate. Working with the Columbia Business School has strengthened the green enterprise project that supports Tibetans creating new sustainable businesses. Our on-going connections to the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race and the Center for Ethnomusiciology bring Tibetan topics into broader conversations on campus.

The MTSP continues to build on its existing projects and to work with an extensive network of Tibetan studies academic partners in the US and globally. This modern Tibetan studies hub consolidates and strengthens the academic resources available to the broader Tibetan studies community and serves to bring Tibetan studies in conversation with a wider public.