This project examined the changing landscape of contemporary Tibetan patronage. Specifically, it analyzed the shift from Western patronage to East- and Southeast Asian patronage. This was done through mixed methods, combining ethnographic fieldwork in Vietnam with quantitative data on the evolution of religion synthesized at the University of British Columbia's Database of Religious History.
The critical issue under investigation is how global Tibetan Buddhism is changing in new sociopolitical contexts, in this case late Socialist Vietnam. It's importance for society is manifold. First, CCP control over Tibetan Buddhism in the PRC and in Tibet means that global Tibetan Buddhism is a contested geo-political field with broader implications for state-society religions. Second, global Tibetan Buddhism, and shifting patronage, is a modern refugee adaptation that extends our understanding of refugee agency and Buddhist patronage. Third, new manifestations of Tibetan Buddhism, especially as syncretic new religions, tell us about the evolution of religion and its adaptation to late-Socialist and neoliberal forces, such as the 'corporate form' of Tibetan Buddhism. Last, ethnographic data collected during this project has revealed dimensions of global Tibetan Buddhism related to sexual and ethnic minorities, and to the minoritization of Vajrayana under state Mahayana.
The overall objectives were to track shifts in Tibetan Buddhist patronage; to track patronage back to South Asia, where it impacts sociality with proximate Indian neighbors; and to understand the structural conditions for the rise of Tibetan Buddhism in new parts of Southeast Asia.
