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Faculty of Oriental Studies

Series associated with Faculty of Oriental Studies

Ancient Egyptian Poetry
Introducing the Qur'an
Oriental Institute
Staying Alive: Poetry and Crisis
Tibetan Graduate Studies Seminar
# Episode Title Description People Date
1 Liu pin fo lou (Building of Six Classes of Sutra and Tantra), the Tibetan Buddhist pantheon in the Forbidden City Ziyi Shao takes us to the reign of the Qianlong Emperor and will show us around the Fan hua lou (Hall of Buddhist Efflorescence), one of the most complex and prominent Buddhist monuments in the Forbidden city Ziyi Shao 07 Jan 2021
2 Culture of Emotions: Uses and Interpretations of Musical Heritage in the Tibetan Refugee Community of Dharamsala Chloé Lukasiewicz talk on the significance of music in the Tibetan refugee community in Dharamsala, India Chloé Lankiewicz 19 Nov 2020
3 Buddhism and the Rise of ‘the Tibetans’ (bod pa): Religion, Myth and the Promotion of Ethnicity in the Pre-modern Period Apropos 'the Tibetans': Reinier Langelaar's talk focuses on the mythical origins and the promotion of ethnicity in historical Tibet Reinier Langelaar 05 Nov 2020
4 Human Remains in Tibetan Material Religion: An object centered approach Ayesha Fuentes shares a unique and interdisciplinary insight into art conservation of human remains in Tibetan material religion Ayesha Fuentes 29 Oct 2020
5 Sacred Trash, Trash Talks, And Personhood Bo Wang discussing the practice of depositing garments as offerings to sacred mountains in Eastern Tibet Bo Wang 29 Oct 2020
6 The First Tibetan Block Print: The Khara-Khoto Collection of Precious Dhāraṇīs with the Emperor's Postscript Alla Sizova discusses the role of translation activities in the spread of Buddhism in the 12th century and outlines the extent of Tibetan influence on the Tangut culture. Alla A. Sizova 15 Oct 2020
7 Fictional Facts or Factual Fiction? The Social Reality behind Kha stag ʼDzam yag’s "Diary" and Lhag pa Don grub’s "Life of a mule driver" Fictional Facts or Factual Fiction? Lucia Galli's talk on self-representation and the social reality behind two Tibetan memoirs Lucia Galli 04 Jun 2020
8 The Nechung Oracle and the Construction of Identity in the Tibetan Diaspora The Oracle in Exile: Pema Choedon's talk on the Nechung Oracle and identity construction in the Tibetan Diaspora Pema Choedon 28 May 2020
9 The Mortality of the Dalai Lama and its Scriptural Sources: A Study in Tibetan Buddhist Political Theology I am currently focusing on the problem of the Dalai Lama’s mortality that is, the question of how to come to terms with his suffering and death, in light of the association between Tibetan kingship and the deity Avalokiteśvara. Ian MacCormack 21 May 2020
10 Preliminary Practices: Bloody Knees, Calloused Palms and the Transformative Nature of Women’s Labor The Preliminary Practices not only initiate practitioners into a specific tradition, but also more fundamentally, into Vajrayana Buddhism as it is practiced in contemporary Tibet. Kati Fitzgerald 14 May 2020
11 Creative Commons Writing about the Nechung Oracle Christopher Bell's talk about oracles, protector deities, and other mysteries Christopher Bell 07 May 2020
12 Creative Commons The sku bla of the Tibetan emperors and its metamorphosis in Yungdrung Bön In the late 12th century Yungdrung Bön text Grags pa gling grags a deity that has a special relationship to the Tibetan ruler plays a prominent part in the narrative of the Tibetan kings. Per Kværne 30 Apr 2020
13 Episode 8: Death Leaves Signs This episode, the final one of this season, features the work of Palestinian poet Yousif M. Qasmiyeh, author-in-residence at Refugee Hosts. Yousif M. Qasmiyeh, Adriana X Jacobs 14 Jun 2019
14 Episode 7: Living Absences In this conversation with Trinidadian Scottish poet Vahni Capildeo, author of Venus as a Bear (2018), we explore the layered, polyphonous histories of the places we pass through and inhabit. Vahni Capildeo, Adriana X Jacobs 07 Jun 2019
15 Episode 6: The .01 Percent In this episode, Israeli poet Tahel Frosh talks to us about her debut poetry collection Betsa (Avarice, 2014), financial crisis, and the value of culture. Tahel Frosh, Adriana X Jacobs 29 May 2019
16 Episode 5: The Cut Out In this episode, I talk to US poet Diana Khoi Nguyen (Ghost Of, 2018) about the perseverance of eels, technologies of printing, and how poetry allows for the possibility that our dead will remain present with us in one form or another. Diana Khoi Nguyen, Adriana X Jacobs 22 May 2019
17 Talking with the Soul: A Dialogue about Life and Death In this Ancient Egyptian poem, a man talks with his own soul about whether it is better to live or die. Read by Barbara Ewing. Translated by Richard Bruce Parkinson. Barbara Ewing, Richard Parkinson 16 May 2019
18 Episode 4: Survival Takes Time Interview with US poet Laura Sims, author of Staying Alive (2016) and Looker (2018) Laura Sims, Adriana X Jacobs 16 May 2019
19 Episode 3: A Language for Grief Interview with Israeli poet Shimon Adaf, author of Aviva-Lo (Aviva-No, 2009). Shimon Adaf, Adriana X Jacobs 08 May 2019
20 Episode 2: We Grow out of the Past Interview with UK poet and translator Sasha Dugdale, author of Red House (2011) and Joy (2017) Sasha Dugdale, Adriana X Jacobs 01 May 2019
21 Episode 1: Like a Zombie Life Interview with the US poet Mike Smith, author of Pocket Guide to Another Earth (2018) and And There was Evening and There was Morning (2018). Mike Smith, Adriana X Jacobs 23 Apr 2019
22 The Qur'an as literature A principal reason for why the Qur'an managed to establish itself as a text believed to constitute divine revelation is that it is compelling literature. How do Islamic and modern Western scholars approach the Qur'an's literary dimension? Nicolai Sinai 27 Feb 2018
23 Confirming and clarifying: The Qur'an in conversation with earlier Judaeo-Christian traditions The Qur'an's original addressees must have been familiar with earlier Jewish and Christian traditions, which the Qur'an claims both to "confirm" and to "clarify". Nicolai Sinai 27 Feb 2018
24 Rekindling Prophecy: The Qur'an in its historical milieu. This second episode examines the historical context in which the material now collected in the Qur'an was first promulgated. Special attention is paid to the various groups of addressees who figure in the Qur'an. Nicolai Sinai 27 Feb 2018
25 Hovering about the Qur'an without entering into it? On the academic study of the Qur'an. What does it mean to study the Qur'an historically? In this initial episode we consider how historically oriented research on the Qur'an relates to religious belief and to traditional Islamic scriptural interpretation. Nicolai Sinai 27 Feb 2018
26 The Life of Sinuhe An ancient Egyptian tells his life-story from the walls of his tomb, c. 1850 BC. Read by Barbara Ewing. Translated by Richard Bruce Parkinson Barbara Ewing, Richard Parkinson 01 Nov 2016
27 The Queen Shrieks: The Shock of Ancient Egyptian Poetry The Inaugural lecture of Richard B. Parkinson as Professor of Egyptology, accompanied by actress and author Barbara Ewing, on the emotional power of the famous Ancient Egyptian poem "The Tale of Sinuhe" Richard Parkinson, Barbara Ewing 27 Jun 2014
28 Creative Commons One Connected Vision of Ancient Egypt: A launch of the digitised Topographical Bibliography Richard Parkinson, Professor of Egyptology, gives a talk about the new digital Topographical Bibliography from the Griffith Institute at Oxford. Richard Parkinson 23 Jun 2014
29 Creative Commons How to Be Publishable: Graduate Training Seminar A crash course in how to get published, from approaching the writing process to marketing your ideas. Dr. Eugene Rogan discusses the ins and outs of academic and trade publishing with insights for students at the graduate level and beyond. Eugene Rogan 20 Feb 2014