The projects and research promoted and supported by the IORC are diverse and interdisciplinary. They include but are not limited to: histories of the Indian Ocean region; trade and commerce within the region; defence and strategic studies; environmental studies; faith and culture; and education and communities. The IORC encourages and supports interdisciplinary projects and research initiatives from both within Sheridan Institute and globally. 

Current Projects & Research

• Rivers: Arguably, Tibet is the source of all of the major Asian civilisations, for without water agricultural societies cannot develop, and Tibet is the source of many of Asia’s major rivers: the Brahmaputra, Indus, Yangtse, Yellow, Mekong, Salween, Sutlej, Irrawaddy, Bhote Kose, Arun, Karnali, and Trishuli Rivers. Due to these many rivers originating from the Tibetan Plateau, it has often been referred to as the ‘Third Pole’, with obvious geopolitical implications given the often fluctuating relationship between China and India, and changing allegiances and alliances with other neighbouring countries. In addition to their agricultural and geopolitical significance, these rivers also hold deep religious significance for peoples of various faiths – for example the major rivers originating at Mt Kailash in Western Tibet being held in great reverence by Buddhists, Jains, Hindus, and Bon practitioners.  

• Religion: Needless to say, religion has played a crucial role in the development of Tibetan civilisation, in particular Tibetan Buddhism. Buddhism flourished in Tibet, first during the 8th century under King Trisong Detsen and the Nyingma School, and again under the later transmission of the 11th century and the establishment of the Kagyu, Sakya, and Gelug Schools. Indian gurus and Tibetan disciples and translators were instrumental in these transmissions and subsequent adaptation of Buddhism to Tibetan society. In addition, early connections with Chinese Buddhists through the Chinese Princess Jincheng who married the Tibetan King Tride Tsuktsen in the 8th century, enabled some Chinese Buddhist influences in Tibet. Nepalese influence, particularly in the architectural style of monasteries and temples, further shaped developments in Tibet. Tibetan Buddhism subsequently spread through various ‘patron-priest’ (Tib: chö-yon) relationships, between renowned Tibetan lamas and Mongol Khans, Chinese Emperors, and other political leaders across Central Asia – to the imperial Chinese court, to Mongolia, Nepal, Bhutan, Kalmykia, Siberia, and far southeast Russia. Thus, Tibetan Buddhism, itself predominantly the product of Indian missionaries such as the 8th-9th century Padmasambhava and the 10th-11th century Atisa, itself received much patronage, and today is the most popular form of Buddhism in the West, and is again attracting followers in China and other parts of Asia. 

In addition to the well-known influence of Buddhism in Tibet, other religious traditions influenced Tibetan culture, including pre-Buddhist Bon (Shamanist, Yungdrong, and post-tenth century 'New Bon'), Christianity (Catholicism and Protestantism), and Islam (mostly Sunni Islam). The proposed project will examine these often underexplored religious traditions which connected Tibet to the Indian Ocean world, in addition to the predominant Buddhist tradition that shaped Tibetan society and culture.

• Roads: Tibet is centrally located between the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia, and China, and Lhasa, the capital, was once known for its cosmopolitanism – being a mid-way trading centre for caravans from Central Asia, China, Nepal, India, and even Armenia, as well as a major centre for Buddhist pilgrimage. The 10th century kingdom of Guge (Western Tibet) was known for its great wealth, and a major centre of trade between India, Central Asia, and China – with merchants from Kashmir, Lahore, and India trading cloth, coral, and amber for wool, and Chinese merchants trading tea, raw silk, and chinaware for the same. Not only did trade goods arrive in Guge along these routes; Portuguese Jesuit missionaries from Goa came to Guge in the seventeenth century, and Catholicism was favoured by the king of Guge until he was overthrown by Buddhist-backed forces and the nearby Namgyal Dynasty of Ladakh. Earlier, in the 11th century, it was here that the Buddhist teacher and master Atisa arrived from the northeast Indian Ocean seaboard of the subcontinent, to spread the dharma and his highly influential scholarly work that was to greatly impact subsequent directions in Tibetan Buddhism – Bodhipathapradīpa, or Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment. 

Of course, trade networks predate the Buddhist period and the Tibetan Empire of the 7th century, established from antiquity through nomadic 'Black tent culture', which stretched from northern Africa, through the Middle East, across Central Asia and to Tibet. Agricultural technology and trade moved through the networks established by this nomadic culture, linking Tibet to the Indian Ocean world - in particular Western Indian Ocean littoral society. This ancient network will be a further focus of the proposed project, to give chronological depth to the connections between Tibet and the Indian Ocean region.

The proposed project will examine the connections between these three domains, and how they tied the Tibetan Plateau to the Indian Ocean region. 

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