The Tanguts in Tibetan History

27.05.2015 18:00 - 19:30

Elliot Sperling | Department of Central Eurasian Studies, University of Indiana Bloomington

Known in Tibetan most commonly as Mi-nyag, the Tanguts and the Tangut State (i.e., Ch. Xixia 西夏) played significant, albeit often obscure, roles in Tibetan history over periods of several centuries. These include the Tibetan imperial period, when Tibet came to hold sway over a portion of the Tangut population; the Xixia era, in which Tibetans came to play a crucial legitimizing role at the Tangut court, one which was to characterize a pronounced Tibetan clerical presence at later non-Tibetan courts; and the period following the destruction of the Tangut State, in which Tangut lore and origins intertwined with certain local Tibetan traditions. Throughout these different periods the nature of Tibetan relationships with the Tanguts and their State was far from uniform. This talk will describe the different forms and chief features of these relations and summarize where we presently stand in our understanding of the place of the Tanguts in Tibetan history.

Organiser:
Institut für Südasien-, Tibet- und Buddhismuskunde
Location:
Seminarraum 1, B AAKH, Spitalgasse 2, Hof 2.7 1090 Wien