Tenth Aris Lecture in Tibetan and Himalayan Studies

Dr Lopen Karma Phuntsho – A Nation in Transition: Can Bhutan Become a Model of Progress in the VUCA World?

The Kingdom of Bhutan, which the outside world came to know properly only in the last half of a century, is seen as the last bastion of Himalayan Vajrayana Buddhism. Today, it is also popularly known for its pursuit of Gross National Happiness. The country, however, is going through unprecedented change heightened by the fast process of globalisaton and digital revolution. Will the country succeed in becoming a different model of human progress in a world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA) or join the global meld? Can its traditional cultures and historical continuity survive the global trends? An understudied area until recently, Bhutan is now under sharp focus with a burgeoning academia and growing international attention. It is increasingly being seen as a developmental experiment.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Lopen Karma Phuntsho teaches Buddhism and Bhutan’s history, culture and religion. After completing full monastic training, he joined Balliol College, Oxford. He is the first Bhutanese to obtain a DPhil at Oxford and fellowship at Clare Hall, Cambridge. He has worked at the CNRS in Paris, the University of Cambridge, the University of Virginia, and creates web content for Tsadra Foundation. He is the author of numerous books and articles including The History of Bhutan (2013), which received the Choice Outstanding Academic Title award. He has managed many documentation projects, directed ethnographic documentaries, and serves on several boards. He is the founder of the Loden Foundation, a leading educational charity in Bhutan, and the founder and spiritual director of Bodhitse centre for study and contemplation. In 2024, he became the first Bhutanese recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for transformational leadership, often called the “Nobel Prize of Asia”.