MTSP Celebrates its 25th Anniversary

The Modern Tibetan Studies Program (MTSP) at Columbia University is celebrating its 25th year in 2024. Upon its establishment in fall 1999, MTSP became the first academic program dedicated to bringing a contemporary focus to Tibetan studies. Details on the program's growth as well as its efforts and vision in serving as a "hub" for Tibetan Studies and engagement with the wider public are presented in its Twenty-Year Report. The Program is integral to the Weatherhead East Asian Institute (WEAI), which has hosted MTSP since its inception and provided funding for a significant share of its public programming.

Today, the MTSP is comprised of faculty, staff, students, postdoctoral fellows, research associates, and visiting scholars. They collaborate across the University with the Weatherhead East Asian Institute, the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, the C.V. Starr East Asian Library, the Department of Religion, Barnard College, the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race, as well as with other schools and organizations in the region. The MTSP has also forged partnerships with area museums and non-profits to leverage the academic resources at Columbia and in New York City for wider benefit. In recent years, hybrid programming has allowed us to expand our international engagement.

Through guest lectures, film-screenings, conferences, workshops and special projects, MTSP works to co-create knowledge and develop resources for the study of Tibet with its partners. We are concerned not only with ‘Tibet’ as the Tibetan regions incorporated in the People’s Republic of China (one quarter of the territory of the People’s Republic of China is recognized as Tibetan “autonomous” regions), but with all areas where Tibetan peoples traditionally reside. This includes the study of Tibetan peoples and cultures within the Himalayas, cross-border studies involving areas such as China, India, Bhutan, and Mongolia – and, additionally, the contemporary diasporic contexts.

Tibet is significant as an ecological and geopolitical region, central to connecting Inner, East, and South Asia. As the highest place on earth, Tibet is often called a “third pole,” with major glaciers and rivers that bring water to about one third of the world’s population. With intensifying state-led economic development and climate impacts, the populations and high plateau of Tibet are at the forefront of rapid socioeconomic and environmental change. The repercussions for much of Asia are also of major concern for scholarly and grassroots communities.

In November 2023, the Henry Luce Foundation awarded Columbia University a five-year project grant "Expanding Tibetan Studies: Indigenous Knowledge & Climate Change Research" to support MTSP research and programming as it continues its work in this area. Funding from the Luce Foundation was also critical in providing support for the first twenty years of growth.

Since October 2021, the MTSP has been directed by Lauran Hartley. This follows nearly two decades of growth under the Robert Barnett (1999-2018) and Eveline Washul (2019-2021). Gray Tuttle, Leila Hadley Luce Professor of Modern Tibetan Studies, serves actively on the MTSP Core Team and was acting director in 2018.

MTSP will host a range of events this spring, including a film series, climate-focused talks and conference, and three guest lectures. A lecture series featuring young Tibetan scholars in Tibetan Studies will serve as a highlight for the 25th anniversary celebration activities in the fall.