Tibetan Medicine · The History of Tibetan Medicine in Exile

This project will produce the first critical in-depth history of Tibetan medicine in exile from 1960 to the present, focusing particularly on the dynamics of its globalization, commoditization and pharmaceuticalization. The investigation will use a combination of historical and ethnographic research methods in order to document the past half-century of exile-Tibetan medicine's development at the interface of traditional knowledge, modern science, the global market and nationalist politics. The research objective is to trace Tibetan medicine's global spread (particularly to Europe) in the past few decades, and make it understandable to various audiences (academics, medical professionals, policy makers) by documenting its causes and dynamics. The aim is thus to provide a solid - and so far non-existent - basis for any academic, political or technological engagement with Tibetan medicine in particular, and other Asian medicines - like Ayurveda or Chinese medicine - in general. The results are expected to be published in the form of one book and several journal articles.The project draws from - and speaks to - a number of academic disciplines, including history of medicine, medical anthropology, socio-cultural anthropology, sociology, science and technology studies and Tibet studies. The proposed research will not only address an increasingly important public health issue in Europe (the rapid spread of alternative and complementary medicines), but also transfer cutting-edge knowledge on the globalization of Asian medicines to its European host and enhance European scientific excellence through several top-level academic publications.