A Comprehensive Study on the Formation of the Religious Sphere by Representations of Sacred Sites and Broader Mobilization in Contemporary Tibet under the Communist Regime

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26360014
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Area studies
• Research Institution: Komazawa University (2017); Kyoto University (2016); Hiroshima University (2014-2015)
• Principal Investigator: BESSHO YUSUKE 駒澤大学, 総合教育研究部, 准教授 (40585650)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 現代チベット / 仏教 / 聖地表象 / 巡礼空間 / 辺境開発

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, I clarified the characters of folk religious practice re-formed in the eastern part of Tibet, which was undergoing transitional modernization process under the communist regime. I could observe large scale pilgrimage movements from 2014-2016 since Tibetan pilgrim increased rapidly during these years according to their religious calendar.
Through the actual field survey, I examined the relationship between increasing religious representations in the sacred sites and spatial practices by the devotees group through analyzing interviews and participant observation. As a result, my research will be able to raise a micro-level viewpoint for overcoming the framework of an external understanding to popular religious practice which was held by the previous studies in following three points: (1) devotee's actual experience at the practice spots, (2) concerned economic activities by local traders, (3) political control by local government.

Free Research Field

文化人類学