Dagmar Schwerk

I am currently in the final stage of editing my monograph about a crucial and longstanding philosophical controversy in the Tibetan Buddhist worlds and begin a new research project on Tibetan Buddhism, in particular on identity- and nation-building processes in eighteenth-century Bhutan. My research and teaching expertise cover Tibetan and Bhutanese intellectual, political, and social history—particularly between the seventeenth and twentieth centuries. In my current research activities, I am interested in Buddhist conceptions of state, governance, social structure, and civil society, as well as applied Buddhist ethics in secular contexts such as economics and education in Asia and the West. 

I am also enjoying teaching courses at UBC (despite the challenges of Covid-19). This academic year, I am teaching ASIA 311: Tibetan Buddhism, a comprehensive introduction into the history, philosophy, and practices of Tibetan Buddhism and ASIA 431: Tibetan Buddhist Literature, Genres, and Book Culture this Winter term 2 2019/20 and an exciting course on Tibetan Buddhism with (virtual) experimental learning components.