239:. Tohti, a Uyghur professor of economics at Minzu University in Beijing, was to spend a year at Indiana University—at the university’s invitation—in 2014 as a visiting professor. He was detained in the Beijing airport, just prior to boarding his flight to Indianapolis, on charges of “separatism” (charges that were characterized as completely made up by the U.S. State Department, the European Union, and many other international bodies) and has since been sentenced by the Chinese government to life imprisonment. Sperling became one of the most outspoken individual voices arguing for Ilham Tohti’s innocence and release. This endeavor was not new for Sperling. He had served on the Committee on Religious Freedom Abroad for the U.S. Department of State (1996–99), and he had testified before the Groupe d’information du Sénat sur le Tibet (France), the Parliamentary Human Rights Group (United Kingdom), the Congressional-Executive Committee on China, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, the House of Representatives Committee on International Relations, and many others. His expertise was particularly requested on matters of human rights in Tibet, Tibet-China relations, ethnic minorities in China, and U.S.–China relations. His opinion pieces and commentary were published in publications such as the
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180:(1984–89). After a short spell at USM, Sperling returned to Indiana University in 1987, as a faculty member. He would remain at the university, a much-loved teacher, until December 2015, with occasional visiting professorships elsewhere, including Harvard University (1992–93) and the University of Delhi (1994–95). Over the years, Sperling mentored numerous graduate students who pursue both academic and nonacademic careers all over the world.
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service of both
Tibetan and Chinese governments. He wrote about bureaucrats, monks, mediators, and envoys to the Tangut, Yuan, Ming, and Qing courts, and his research covered many periods, ranging from the ninth century to the present. In addition to his focus on the Ming period, Sperling is especially recognized for his interventions on the study of the
160:
Equipped with knowledge of
Chinese made stronger by an overseas study of the language in Taiwan, Sperling matriculated at Indiana University’s Department of Uralic and Altaic Studies (renamed Central Eurasian Studies in 1993), where his career would be shaped and developed for the next four decades.
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In his work, "Sperling has been a judicious voice in increasingly less discerning times. He has censured (including during appearances in China) the
Chinese government’s oppressive policies in Tibet. He has criticized the Dalai Lama and Tibet’s government-in-exile (also during appearances in India)
195:
In his research, based predominantly on original, primary sources in
Tibetan and Chinese, Sperling focused on questions of sovereignty and boundaries; on types of political, social, and familial authority; on Chinese policy toward Tibet; and on the complicated roles of Tibetan officials in the
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for giving up on
Tibetan independence and for their ignorance of China’s real positions. He has rejected the Tibetophiles’ view of Tibet as an unspoiled bastion of pure spirituality. And he never had much patience for scholars who easily become groupies of academic fashions."
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Born and raised in New York City to a family that underscored the importance of education, hard work, modesty, and social responsibility, Sperling developed a political and social awareness from a very young age. Attending
431:"Төвд, Монголын 1913 оны гэрээ: гадаад улсууд хэрхэн хүлээн авсан тухай," in А. Түвшинтѳгс and Д. Зоригт, eds., “Монгол, Төвдийн 1913 оны гэрээ”-олон улсын эрх зүйн баримт бичиг, Ulaanbaatar, 2012, 123–138
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numerous times later (including as a
Fulbright fellow). Upon his return from Delhi, having encountered for the first time Tibetans in exile, Sperling changed his major to East Asian studies.
165:, the Dalai Lama’s eldest brother. Sperling studied modern and classical Tibetan, polished his knowledge of modern and classical Chinese, and wrote his doctoral dissertation,
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fueled his passion for the study of faraway lands. A short sojourn in India developed into a love affair with that country and culture; Sperling would revisit
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and other eminent personalities of his era, and on Tibet’s status under the Qing. Sperling served on, consulted or directed numerous professional boards.
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only served to kindle in him a youthful idealism that was never extinguished. While in college, Sperling traveled widely. An overland journey from
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Early Ming Policy toward Tibet: An
Examination of the Proposition that the Early Ming Emperors Adopted a "Divide and Rule" Policy toward Tibet
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434:"Reincarnation and the Golden Urn in the 19th Century: The Recognition of the 8th Panchen Lama," in Roberto Vitali, ed.,
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417:"Conversations and Debates: Chinese and Tibetan Engagement with the Broader Discussion of Self-Immolation in Tibet,"
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A product of the public education system, Sperling took his first faculty position also at a public institution, the
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Sperling also was a champion of human rights. Most recently, his public engagement was exemplified in the case of
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514:"Crossroads for the Dalai Lama - Unrest, Conflicts and War, Crossroads, Dalai Lama - chicagotribune.com"
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The department was already internationally renowned, in part owing to the presence on the faculty of
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in New York City, an area known for its vibrant
Tibetan population. Sperling died in January 2017.
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365:"Notes on the Early History of Gro-tshang Rdo-rje-'change and Its Relations with the Ming Court,"
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275:"Concerning the Lingering Question of Sde-srid Sangs-rgyas rgya-mtsho’s Paternity,"
92:(January 4, 1951 – January 29, 2017) was one of the world's leading historians of
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441:"Pho-lha-nas, Khang-chen-nas, and the Last Era of Mongol Domination in Tibet,"
289:"The 1 13 Tibeto-Mongol Treaty: Its International Reception and Circulation,"
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176:(USM). Shortly after arriving in Hattiesburg, he was awarded the prestigious
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http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/ret/pdf/ret_31_02.pdf
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vol. vol. 17, 2013: The
Centennial of the Tibeto-Mongol Treaty: 1913–2013.
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Himalaya: The
Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies
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645:"World Uyghur Congress Devastated at Loss of Professor Elliot Sperling"
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532:"Oppression could be the end of the road for Dalai Lama's middle way"
386:"Awe and Submission: A Tibetan Aristocrat at the Court of Qianlong,"
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Remembering Elliot Sperling: Personal Reflections on a Public Loss
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589:"Interchange – Elliot Sperling – Central Eurasian Studies – WFHB"
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For an extensive list of Elliot Sperling's publications, consult
403:"Tibétains, Mongols et Mandchous," in Françoise Pommaret, eds.,
394:"«Orientalism» and Aspects of Violence in the Tibetan Tradition"
372:"Tibet," in John Block Friedman and Kristen Mossler Figg, eds.,
282:"Si tu paṇ chen Chos kyi ’byung gnas in History: A Brief Note,"
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After his retirement from Indiana University, Sperling moved to
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Studies on the History and Literature of Tibet and the Himalaya
379:"Exile and Dissent: The Historical and Cultural Context," in
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The Cambridge History of China, vol 8: The Ming dynasty, 242
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Journal of the International Association for Tibetan Studies
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Trails of the Tibetan Tradition: Papers for Elliot Sperling
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Trails of the Tibetan Tradition: Papers for Elliot Sperling
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Medieval Trade, Travel, and Explorations: An Encyclopedia
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1004:Queens College, City University of New York alumni
424:(Co-editor, with Kunsang Gya and Andrea Snavely)
219:, was published by the Amnye Machen Institute in
223:, India. The volume is open access through the
108:. He spent most of his scholarly career as an
303:The Tibet-China Conflict: History and Polemics
120:, with seven years as the department's chair.
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704:"Digital Himalaya: Revue d'Études Tibétaines"
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448:"Les noms du Tibet: géographie et identité,"
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396:in Thierry Dodin and Heinz Räther, eds.,
564:"Department of Central Eurasian Studies"
550:"Elliot Sperling — MacArthur Foundation"
133:in the early 1970s at the height of the
616:"Obituary: Elliot Sperling (1951-2017)"
490:"Don't Know Much About Tibetan History"
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39:/ Free Expression Literature, May 2014.
769:Department of Central Eurasian Studies
688:: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
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118:Department of Central Eurasian Studies
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426:Minority Language in Today’s Society
145:with stops in the fabled cities of
174:University of Southern Mississippi
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309:. Washington: East-West Center.
1019:American human rights activists
488:Sperling, Elliot (2008-04-13).
469:Sperling, Elliot (2008-04-03).
388:International Review of History
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16:American historian, 1951-2017
1034:Activists from New York City
614:Dorjee, Tenzin (June 2017).
450:Monde chinois, nouvelle asie
1024:Tibetan–English translators
257:Far Eastern Economic Review
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999:Indiana University faculty
438:(Kathmandu, 2012), 97–107.
421:25 (December 2012), 89–97.
253:Jane’s Intelligence Review
536:The Sydney Morning Herald
419:Revue d’Etudes tibétaines
225:Revue d'Études Tibétaines
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471:"The Dalai Lama as dupe"
443:Rocznik Orientalistyczny
277:Rocznik Orientalistyczny
1029:Historians from Indiana
1014:Tibet freedom activists
215:in his honor, entitled
135:counterculture movement
149:, Tabriz, Tehran, and
953:Mihály Szegedy-Maszak
475:The Los Angeles Times
445:65/1 (2012), 195–211.
279:67/1 (2014), 202–221.
994:American sinologists
787:Christopher Beckwith
178:MacArthur Fellowship
989:American historians
938:Thubten Jigme Norbu
405:Lhasa lieu du divin
110:associate professor
857:Tserenchunt Legden
773:Indiana University
647:. 2 February 2017.
494:The New York Times
114:Indiana University
1009:MacArthur Fellows
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812:Shahyar Daneshgar
797:Gardner Bovingdon
452:31 (2012), 27–32.
428:(New York, 2012).
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383:(New York, 2000).
376:(New York, 2000).
245:Los Angeles Times
104:relations, and a
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71:(2017-01-29)
35:Sperling at
979:2017 deaths
974:1951 births
943:Denis Sinor
928:Yuri Bregel
902:Kemal Silay
842:György Kara
237:Ilham Tohti
221:Dharamshala
213:festschrift
211:In 2014, a
37:PEN America
968:Categories
887:Toivo Raun
807:Sibel Crum
734:, 8.2.2017
675:2017-02-01
630:2020-07-05
574:2017-02-03
499:2010-05-01
457:References
338:2008-08-14
255:, and the
51:1951-01-04
410:(Editor)
369:, (2000).
357:ignored (
347:cite book
325:1547-1330
124:Biography
892:Ron Sela
684:cite web
300:(2004).
191:Research
139:Istanbul
147:Erzurum
102:Chinese
98:Tibetan
412:Lungta
367:Lungta
323:
313:
291:Lungta
247:, the
243:, the
669:(PDF)
662:(PDF)
332:(PDF)
307:(PDF)
155:India
151:Herat
143:Delhi
94:Tibet
690:link
359:help
321:ISSN
311:ISBN
96:and
66:Died
45:Born
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626:(1)
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