Introduction: Materials, Materiality, and Material Culture

This introduction advocates for the expansion of Tibetan studies by embracing new sources, methodologies and frameworks to better understand the material culture of Tibet and the Himalayas. We start by reviewing the current state of the discipline’s engagement with material culture. While recognizing the positive trend over the past decade of moving beyond the largely descriptive nature of earlier literature on Tibetan material culture, the chapter emphasizes the need for greater interaction with other academic fields to make our work relevant beyond Tibetan studies. We also address the limits and boundaries of how Tibet is understood as a political and geographical entity, stressing the importance of highlighting the localized experiences of regions like Sikkim, Ladakh, Bhutan and Nepal in scholarship. Additionally, we explore key terminology related to materiality, materials, labour and material culture, welcoming diverse perspectives in materially-led research rather than settling on a single approach. Along the way, we discuss how each chapter bridges other disciplines and is an example to follow. We conclude with a brief overview of the volume’s structure, arguing that its chapters—both individually and taken together—promote the significance of knowledge produced when among Tibetan materialities.

Keywords material culture studies, methodologies, state of the field, sources, Tibetan studies