The year 2025 marks a century since the Tibet Mirror (Gsar 'gyur me long) began its almost four-decade publication run, inaugurating a century of Tibetan-language journalism, and 74 years since the Tibet Daily (Bod ljongs nyin re'i tshags par) was founded by the CCP in Lhasa. The Tibetan-language news-sphere has since seen over 50 known titles published across the Tibetan Plateau and South Asia. These newspapers constitute rare records of Tibetan history and society.
As scholars face increasing challenges in archival access and oral history research, newspaper studies offer one of the few viable approaches to researching modern Tibetan history. This centenary presents an opportune moment for researchers of Tibetan newspapers to share their experiences and findings, and to assess the potential contribution of Tibetan newspapers to the historical knowledge of the region.
This workshop will bring together scholars working on Tibetan print media across different periods and disciplines to consider three primary objectives: establishing shared standards for describing, classifying, and indexing Tibetan newspapers; exploring various methodological approaches and digital tools for analysis of the newspapers; and sharing findings that illustrate the potential value of newspapers as research sources for the study of Tibetan history, culture and society over the last century.
Participants will be invited to share their insights and experience regarding the challenges posed for researchers by Tibetan newspapers, such as the difficulty of obtaining images or producing transcripts from archival images, or the challenges posed by specialised jargon in post-1950 publications. The conference will feature sixteen presentations over two days, with dedicated discussion periods to assess new digital technologies, explore avenues for future collaboration, and establish an ongoing network of scholars engaged in studying Tibetan newspapers and the histories they describe.
The workshop is convened by Franz Xaver Erhard (Leipzig University), Alice Travers (Collège de France/CNRS, CRCAO), Natalia Mikhailova (Université Laval), and Nathan W. Hill (SOAS/Trinity College Dublin) at Leipzig University's Research Centre Global Dynamics with funding from the DFG (Project-No. 570158807).
You are welcome to join us in person! Since there is limited space available. Please contact Dr Natalia Mikhailova (nn.mikhaylova@gmail.com) to register for the workshop.
