CAS Event/Tibet Himalaya Initiative Event
Wednesday, March 20 at 5pm
British and Irish Studies Room, Norlin Library
Dr. Sonam Kinga is an important political figure, scholar, and writer in the Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan. Now that the country is a decade into its transition to democracy, Dr. Kinga will present a public lecture at CU Boulder on March 20, 2019 on "Political Contests and Moral Battles: A Perspective on Bhutan's Democratic Transition." As political parties compete in national elections, they draw on specific symbols to evoke the moral authority of the Bhutanese royal family and the country's Buddhist heritage. In these various political battles, the fifth King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck continues to serve as a central unifying factor for the nation and moral force as a dedicated Buddhist, despite smear campaigns by political parties. Based on a forthcoming book of the same title, Dr. Kinga's lecture addresses the ongoing role of the monarchy, and by extension its Buddhist moral underpinnings, in Bhutan's democracy.