The University’s Tibet Center formally opened its doors Friday in an act symbolic of the University’s progress toward promoting the teaching and sharing of Tibetan history and culture. The new center brings together three branches of study, including strong academics, technological development and perhaps most importantly: connection to communities in Tibet and China, said David Germano, associate professor of Tibetan and Buddhist studies and codirector of the Center.
Since its inception, Tibetan studies has had a widely inclusive curriculum of Tibetan culture, language and history, Germano said. Asst. Anthropology Prof. Nicolas Sihlé said for years, the University’s Tibetan Studies department has seen steady growth, to the point that it is now one of the most developed programs in North America. As it expanded, the program became interdisciplinary and diversified. Germano also noted that during this time Buddhist studies and Tibetan literature became more critical parts of studying Tibet at the University.
The Tibet Center is at least partly dependent on recent advancements in the digital humanities — a field in which the University is considered a pioneer, Germano said.
According to the Tibet Center’s Web site, The Tibetan and Himalayan Library is a large collaborative Web site where scholars, librarians, technology developers and students share information across disciplines to create a more complete compilation of knowledge about Tibet. The Web site includes features such as 3-D reproductions of Tibetan monasteries and publications of recent scholarly work about Tibet.
Germano said while the University studies and researches the cultures and peoples of the world, it also must “fulfill its ethical obligations and bring real benefit to the people who live in places like Tibet.”
To accomplish this goal, the Tibet Center will have health care and education programs meant to benefit communities in Tibet. He also said those part of the Tibet Center hope to build a model for a sustainable education system that might be used in other places around the world.
Although the Tibet Center will work to promote a country and culture under the constraints of a dominant Chinese Communist party, Germano said he and other Tibet Center members hope to “step to the side of politically changed issues.” This might mean staying out of debates about what group — Chinese or Tibetan — historically controlled the Tibetan Plateau, he added. Instead, Germano said the Tibet Center will devote itself to making practical policy changes and partnering with aid organizations and educational institutions that work inside Tibetan communities.
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