Resources for Tibetan Historical Research
This section, researched and compiled by Professor Gray Tuttle, focuses on historical research materials.
In addition to the Tibet-specific sources included here, research material can be found by searching historical databases. For example, the EBSCO database Historical Abstracts offers citations, abstracts, and links for publications related to world history, excluding the U.S. and Canada, from 1450 to the present, including many dissertations and articles related to Tibet. These have proliferated in recent years. For an introductory list, click on "Primary Sources Databases & Websites" below.
- Archival & Other Rare Materials
Focuses on non-imperial sources, collections of documents at Kundeling, and other institutions - Biographies
- Chronologies
- Field Reports
- Imperial Records
- Local Histories
In addition to an extensive bibliography, this section also includes the link to "Official Chinese Sources on Recent Tibetan History: Local Gazetteers, Wenshi Ziliao, and CCP Histories," compiled and annotated by Columbia University graduate student Benno Weiner. This 20-page guide covers eastern Tibetan regions in Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, and lists holdings at Columbia University and several other library institutions.
Survey histories of the religious schools and broader geographic areas, such as Amdo and Ngari.