Tibet, Past and Present (Tibetan Studies-I)

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The spectacular growth of Tibetan Studies and the great popular demand for regular IATS meetings may be apparent from the fact that the ninth seminar-even when organised only two years after the eighth-received close to 400 registrations and eventually had 290 actual participants at the seminar. Approximately 270 papers have been submitted for review, roughly 235 of which have been accepted, 215 were eventually presented, and more than 150 now appear in print. Half the papers were presented in panels.

This first volume comprises articles about history, ancient and modern, and linguistic contributions. Volume two contains contribu- tions on religious and secular culture, both from textual studies and anthropological perspectives, and a couple of articles dealing with literary fiction. The last volume contains articles concerning Bhutan (guest-editor: John Ardussi) and contributions on Tibetan Art. The complete proceedings comprise seven additional volumes, which are based on specialised panels at the seminar and were edited by the panel-organisers:

4. Epstein, Khams pa Histories: Visions of People, Place and Authority

5. Huber, Amdo Tibetans in Transition: Society and Culture in the Post-Mao Era

6. Beckwith, Medieval Tibeto-Burman Languages

7. Klimburg-Salter & Allinger, Buddhist Art and Tibetan Patron- age from the Ninth to Fourteenth Centuries

8. Klieger, Tibet, Self, and The Tibetan Diaspora: Voices of Difference

9. Buffetrille & Diemberger, Territory and Identity in Tibet and the Himalaya

10. Eimer & Germano, The Many Canons of Tibetan Buddhism

This would not have been possible without the formidable efforts of many guest- editors mentioned above (and their many assistant editors). Most of which had to combine their editorial work with many pressing responsibilities and only managed to accomplish it at significant personal sacrifice. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for their work.

I should like to thank Stichting Jan Gonda Fonds (KNAW- Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences) for their generous financial support of my work on the proceedings, and the IIAS and CNWS (Research School for Asian and Amerindian Studies) for providing office facilities. I should also like to express my appreciation for the editorial assistance received from Abel Zadoks, during six crucial months of the publication process. Hildegard Diemberger has helped arranging electronic files that were missing for some of the Tibetan articles.

Furthermore we owe a debt of gratitude to the many individuals, foundations and institutes that sponsored the ninth IATS seminar and its participants: CNWS, Curzon Press, Eco-Himal (Austria & Italy); Stichting Eco-operation; Stichting Jan Gonda Fonds (at KNAW); Ms. v. Gulik; Ms. Barbara Hines; Institute for Comparative Research in Human Cultural (Oslo, Norway); IIAS; NWO-Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research; Network for University Co- operation Norway-Tibet (Oslo, Norway); Oost-Europa Fonds (at Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds) Prins Claus Fund; KNAW; and Trace Foundation. Likewise to the organising staff of the seminar, which, including volunteers and translators (partly also participating as observers), varied from 25 to 30 per day, in total about 45, I cannot mention them all.

Last but not least I should like to say thanks to Brill Academic Publishers in Leiden, particularly Albert Hoffstädt and Patricia Radder, for their expert and expedient handling of the publication and sheer endless patience.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages