The Scientific Legacy of Rene´ de Nebesky-Wojkowitz
The Scientific Legacy of Rene´ de Nebesky-Wojkowitz
Disciplines
Other Humanities (45%); Sociology (30%); Linguistics and Literature (25%)
Keywords
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Himalayan Studies,
Digital Archiving,
Darjeeling district,
Ethnographic Collection,
History Of Anthropology,
Ethno-Tibetology
The project, to be hosted at the Research Center CIRDIS (Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Documentation of Inner and South Asian Cultural History), University of Vienna, and directed by Univ.-Prof. Dr. Martin Gaenszle, will provide a valuable contribution to the preservation and utilization of the legacy of the Austrian Tibetologist and ethnographer Ren de Nebesky-Wojkowitz (1923-1959) and highlight the importance of his pioneering and influential work on Tibetan religion and culture. Scheduled for four years, the project concentrates on his three travels to South Asia (1950-1953, 1956-1957 and 1958-1959) and on his academic work at the University of Vienna and the former Museum für Völkerkunde, through which he brought the culture of Tibet and Nepal to the attention of a broader public at an early stage. His pioneering work and his innovative way of combining his language skills, his anthropological inquiries and his interest for the living religion, ritual practice and art, created a new method of what could be called Ethno- Tibetology, establishing a continuing academic tradition of Tibetan and Buddhist Studies in Austria and influencing the scientific perspective of subsequent scholars around the world. The project aims to compile, archive, analyse and make available the heterogeneous material of various ethnic cultures consisting of monographs, articles, unpublished field notes, tape recording, photographs and film material, Tibetan manuscripts and texts, as well as numerous ethnological and artistic artefacts collected and purchased by Nebesky-Wojkowitz during his travels. The largest part of these resources are now in the possession of the Weltmuseum Wien (former Museum für Völkerkunde); the rest are scattered over a number of national and international archives and libraries. We will especially take into consideration the geographical, political and socio-historical context of his journeys. The material will be archived and disseminated in line with the principle of long-term preservation and open accessibility. The team further plans to create a Cultural Map, which intends to digitally re-unite and locate the multitude of data Nebesky-Wojkowitz produced during his few but intensive years of academic research, and which shall illuminate his societal contacts and research network in Europe and the Eastern Himalayas. The reappraisal of his interests, his research strategies and methods should also contribute to a more comprehensive picture of the academic history of Asian Anthropology and Tibetology in Austria and beyond, highlighting the impact of his work on colleagues and successors. In addition, the project will emphasize the meaning and value of his his extensive but neglected collection at the Weltmuseum Wien and contribute to the museums research programmes and particularly to its current reorganisation and future exhibition concepts.
- Universität Wien - 100%
- Daniel Berounsky, Charles University Prague - Czechia
- Trine Brox, University of Copenhagen - Denmark
- Kunsang Namgyal Lama, Centre d´Études Himalayennes - Campus De Villejuif - CNRS - France
- Anna Balikci, Namgyal Institute of Tibetology - India
- Kami Tsewang Gurung, Triten Norbutse Institution - Nepal
- Alban Von Stockhausen, Bernisches Historisches Museum - Switzerland
- Heleen Plaisier, University of Edinburgh - United Kingdom
Research Output
- 3 Citations
- 17 Publications
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2022
Title Routledge Handbook of Highland Asia DOI 10.4324/9780429345746-18 Type Book Chapter Publisher Routledge -
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Title Introduction: René Nebesky-Wojkowitz - Exploring the Cultural and Textual Heritage of the Himalayas Type Book Chapter Author Niebuhr U Publisher Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften -
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Title Recollecting René Nebesky-Wojkowitz - Compiling and Contextualizing his Collection and Documentation from a Multi-Medial and Multidisciplinary Perspective Type Book Chapter Author Widorn V Publisher Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften -
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Title Nebesky-Wojkowitz and Kiranti Studies Type Book Chapter Author Gaenszle M Publisher Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften -
2023
Title Der wissenschaftliche Nachlass von René Nebesky-Wojkowitz Type Other Author Niebuhr U Pages 17 -
2019
Title Bericht über die Forschungsreise in Nepal 1958/59 (und in das indisch-tibetische Grenzgebiet) Type Journal Article Author Nebesky-Wojkowitz† R Journal Archiv Weltmuseum Wien 68 Pages 64-91 -
2020
Title Das Buddhistische Lebensrad: René Nebesky-Wojkowitzs Recherchen zum Kreislauf der Wiedergeburt Type Journal Article Author Niebuhr U Journal Archiv Weltmuseum Wien 69 Pages 68-105 -
2022
Title Austria's First Nepal Exhibition - René Nebesky-Wojkowitz's Role in Presenting Nepalese Culture to a European Audience in 1957 Type Journal Article Author Niebuhr U Journal Archiv Weltmuseum Wien 71 Pages 46-69 -
2020
Title 'Tibetan Treasures' of the Weltmuseum Wien: A First Critical Approach to René de Nebesky-Wojkowitz's Policy of Collecting Type Journal Article Author Niebuhr U Journal Kunsttexte.de Pages 1-11 -
2022
Title René Nebesky-Wojkowitz (1923-1959) - Milestones in a Scientific Career Type Book Chapter Author Niebuhr U Publisher edition tethys Pages 37-69 -
2020
Title Bilder einer Reise: Kalimpong - Stadt der Spione im Himalaya Type Journal Article Author Niebuhr U Journal Friends! Newsletter der Weltmuseum Wien Friends Pages 14-20 -
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Title Annotated Catalogue of the Text Collection of René Nebesky-Wojkowitz (1923-1959) at the Weltmuseum Wien Type Book Author Drongshar T Publisher Arbeitskreis für Tibetische und Buddhistische Studien -
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Title Exploring Himalayan Cultural and Textual Heritage: The Legacy and Impact of René Nebesky-Wojkowitz Type Book editors Niebuhr U, Gaenszle M, Viehbeck M, Widorn V Publisher Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften -
2022
Title René Nebesky-Wojkowitz Type Other Author Niebuhr U Pages 15 -
2022
Title René Nebesky-Wojkowitz Type Other Author Niebuhr U Pages 113 -
2021
Title Journeys to the Realm of Bad Death in Kiranti Funeral Rites Type Book Chapter Author Gaenszle M Publisher Academia, The Publishing House of Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Pages 447-462 -
2021
Title The Limbu Script and the Production of Religious Books in Nepal DOI 10.1163/24519197-bja10014 Type Journal Article Author Gaenszle M Journal Philological Encounters Pages 43-69 Link Publication