Upcoming event on Tibet

The CIGA Seminar Series Presents

Rehearsing the State: The Governance Practices of the Tibetan Government in Exile

by Dr Fiona McConnell, Junior Research Fellow, Trinity College, University of Cambridge

When: Friday, March 2 | 12:00 – 1:30 pm
Where: The Elliott School of International Affairs, Suite 501 Conference Room
1957 E St, NW

Fiona McConnell’s research engages with political geography around issues of sovereignty, state practices and the (re)pluralising of political space, with a particular interest in how communities officially excluded from formal state politics are nevertheless engaging with aspects of statecraft. Her doctoral research focused on the sovereign practices of the exile Tibetan government based in India and she has ongoing interests around issues of legitimacy, diplomacy and geographies of peace.

This event is free and open to the public.

CIGA is part of the Elliott School of International Affairs and its Institute of Global and International Studies. The George Washington University

Upcoming event on Tibet

When: Monday, Dec 12th | 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm
Where: The National Committee
71 W. 23 Street Suite 1901
New York, NY 10010 US

The National Committee will hold a program with Dr. Tashi Rabgey, co-director of the University of Virginia Tibet Center. Drawing on her rich experience working on the Tibetan Plateau, Dr. Rabgey will discuss her views of recent developments in the region and her work on language protection issues during an off-the-record discussion.

To register, please RSVP to events@ncuscr.org by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 9.

Dr. Rabgey is the founding director of the Tibet Sustainable Governance Program (TSGP), which seeks to advance scholarship, research and new perspectives on the challenges of governance and sustainability of communities on the Tibetan Plateau. TSGP has developed a unique research exchange with the Chinese State Council on bilingualism and language policy in Tibetan education, entrepreneurship and economic development. Other TSGP projects include the Tibetan Social Business and Sustainable Entrepreneurship Initiative and the Tibetan Education to Employment Initiative. TSGP is a joint initiative of the UVa Tibet Center and Machik, a D.C.-based nonprofit Dr. Rabgey co-founded with her sister Losang Rabgey that works to develop opportunities for education, capacity-building and innovation on the Tibetan plateau.

Machik weekend 2011

When: October 28-30
Where: Washington DC

Join us for Machik Weekend, an annual fall gathering in Washington DC, to explore service and educational programs in Tibet. Meet past and present Machik volunteers, team members and other dynamic organizations and individuals working in the Tibetan region. Through roundtables, speakers and informal discussions, learn about Machik service and capacity-building programs and explore how you or your local community can become involved.

Learn about Machik progams including:
-Summer Enrichment Program
-Social Business
-Rural Education
-Sustainable Communities
-Sustainability and Governance Research

Continue reading “Machik weekend 2011” →

On the politics of exile

Guest post by Majid Razvi

If “monk-politician” strikes you as somewhat of a contradiction… well, you might be right. Meet Samdhong Rinpoche, Prime Minister of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile. His title contains within it a sad reminder of the current plight of the Tibetans.

On July 14, the Culture in Global Affairs Research and Policy Program of the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University hosted Samdhong Rinpoche as a speaker in the CIGA Seminar Series.

Rinpoche began with an apology for his English skills, which proved to be better than many native speakers. He then declared that he was “not comfortable” with politics. (I am reminded of Plato’s hypothetical philosopher-kings, who would likely be not at all interested in the political position. Perhaps reluctance should be a prerequisite for public office!)

His lecture delved into the history of Tibet and its people. What struck me most, however, was Rinpoche’s constant reiteration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s longstanding position: what is important is not political autonomy, but cultural and religious freedom.

“We are not concerned with who is ruling Tibet,” said Rinpoche, “but how they are ruling Tibet.”

During the Q&A session, a reporter asked how Samdhong Rinpoche felt about President Obama’s failure to meet with the Dalai Lama. With that blend of rigorous logic and holistic wisdom that so-perfectly characterizes Buddhism, Rinpoche pointed out that ascribing such a “failure” to the President before His Holiness had left the country was premature.

Two days later, at the White House:

His Holiness the Dalai Lama and President Barack Obama — His Holiness the Dalai Lama with President Barack Obama, July 16 2011. Flickr, Creative Commons

Majid Razvi received his B.A. in 2011 from Virginia Commonwealth University where he majored in Philosophy and Religious Studies. He has a strong interest in Tibetan epistemology, logic, and argumentation. He intends to pursue graduate study in philosophy.

Upcoming event of interest at GW

The CIGA Seminar Series Presents
Tibet and the Politics of Exile in the New Millennium

by Samdhong Rinpoche, Tibetan Prime Minister in Exile

A distinguished scholar and leading Tibetan public intellectual, Professor Samdhong Rinpoche has served as the first elected Tibetan Prime Minister in Exile from 2001 to 2011. He was professor of Tibetan studies and director of the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies in Varanasi, India, from 1971-1988. In 1990, he was a member of the Drafting Committee Constitution of the Future Polity of Tibet and Law for the exiled Tibetans. From 1991 to 1995 he was appointed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama as one of the deputies of the Assembly of Tibetan People’s Deputies and was later unanimously elected as its Chairman. Samdhong Rinpoche was born in eastern Tibet in 1939. He received his Geshe Lharampa degree in 1968 and his Ngarimpa degree in 1969.

Opening remarks by:
Tashi Rabgey
Visiting Scholar, CIGA, George Washington University
Fellow in Public Intellectuals Program, National Committee on US-China Relations
Director, Tibet Sustainable Governance Program, University of Virginia

Thursday, July 14, 6:30 – 7:45 pm
Reception beginning at 6:00pm
1957 E Street NW, Room 213, Harry Harding Auditorium, The Elliott School of International Affairs

RSVP requested: bit.ly/mVTf4G

CIGA is part of the Elliott School of International Affairs and its Institute of Global and International Studies