About this episode

Benjamin J. Nourse discusses the impact of publishing in early modern Tibetan Buddhism and its implications for religious and political authority.

The Power of Publishing in Early Modern Tibetan Buddhism (Lexington Books, 2025) is a rich exploration of the history of Tibetan books during the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Looking at this ‘golden age’ of book production, Benjamin Nourse focuses on two core topics: What was driving Tibetan publishing in the eighteenth century, and what happened as a result of that growth? How should we understand Tibetan Buddhist ideas and practices related to religious books? Through individual chapters on publishing in Lhasa, Qing Beijing, Derge, Chone, and Labrang, Nourse shows how Tibetan books operated simultaneously as religious objects, political tools, and markers of cultural authority. Across each, we see books being used in different ways: as a way of cementing the authority of the Fifth Dalai Lama, as part of Beijing’s emergence as a major center for Tibetan Buddhist publishing, and as objects that people engaged with through reading, chanting, translation, and ritual practice. This book should naturally appeal to those interested in Tibetan Buddhism, religion, and early modern Asia — but it is also a valuable contribution to book history, print culture, and the…

People in this episode

Host: Marshall Poe

Guest: Benjamin J. Nourse

Topics covered

• Tibetan Buddhism
• book history
• print culture
• political authority
• religious practice
• early modern Asia

Keywords

• Tibetan books
• eighteenth century
• book production
• religious objects
• cultural authority
• publishing
• Tibetan Buddhist ideas

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Lexington Books

Places: Lhasa, Qing Beijing, Derge, Chone, Labrang

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