Cultural Anthropology Lecture: Searching for a Global Language

In his upcoming lecture on February 27th, Dhondup T. Rekjong examines how Tibetan monastic scholars in 1980s China navigated political and ideological challenges by highlighting the scientific dimensions of Buddhist thought. Their efforts not only aligned Buddhism with state modernization goals but also marked a pivotal new phase in Tibetan Buddhist engagement with modern science.

Everyone is welcome, and registration is not required.

Dhondup T. Rekjong is a Tibetan scholar and doctoral candidate in religious studies at Northwestern University. His writings have appeared in The Journal of Culture and Religion, The Journal of Contemporary Buddhism, The Journal of Asian Studies, The Journal of Critical Asian Studies, The Journal of Cultural Anthropology, The Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, Lion’s Roar, The Treasury of Lives, and elsewhere. He is an editor of The Tibet Reader, forthcoming from Duke University Press.

Abstract

A generation of Tibetan monastic scholars skillfully cultivated a complex relationship between Buddhism and science within the socialist environment of China in the 1980s. This talk analyzes the skillful means these scholars employed when Tibetan Buddhism faced a series of ideological and political challenges, including official media misrepresentation, government religious regulations, and social critics. In navigating these challenges, these monastic scholars promoted Buddhist values by highlighting their scientific aspects, aligning Buddhism with state modernization policies. The discussions of science originated by scholars within Tibet represented a new phase of Tibetan Buddhism, introducing what would become a global discourse focused on modern science.