Edited Books by Mareike Wulff
Crossing Boudaries. Tibetan Studies Unlimited., 2021
The urge to cross boundaries and explore new geographic areas has driven explorers and scientists... more The urge to cross boundaries and explore new geographic areas has driven explorers and scientists to enter and describe new regions, discover unknown places, and encounter new societies and cultures.
Academic work, driven by a similar impulse, can range over an even wider territory. In this volume we aim to contribute to a better understanding of the world and its structures by crossing not only the boundaries marked by state border lines but also those of disciplines, cultures, and methodologies – as well as those defined by stereotypes and perspectives.
The authors of the contributions to this book are bound together by the subject of Tibetan and Himalayan Studies. Each of the chapters presents a unique viewpoint, approach, and crossing of a scientific boundary that can broaden our understanding of the region encapsulated by the highest mountains of our earth.
Papers by Mareike Wulff
In: Diana Lange, Jarmila Ptáčková, Marion Wettstein und Mareike Wulff (eds.) ,Crossing Boundaries. Tibetan Studies Unlimited, Prague: Academia Publishing House, 2021
This paper is part of the Festschrift for Prof. Toni Huber, and combines text with visual analysi... more This paper is part of the Festschrift for Prof. Toni Huber, and combines text with visual analysis of ’cham garments.
"Sometimes what is of the utmost importance lies beneath. It is not the visible, that can be easily perceived from the outside, but what is hidden behind. This essay gathers the hidden layers of three Bhutanese ’cham costume ensembles. I discovered these during my research on a ’cham festival in Central Bhutan, in Korphu village, as part of my doctoral thesis. In order to fully see through Bhutanese ’cham attire (’cham chas; Dzongkha; Dz. in the following), I had to cross the boundary of its outer shell and advance to the layer beneath. I came to appreciate the interplay between the inside and outside, and how the invisible sustains the visible. For all three examples I start by describing the outer layer first, continue by explaining the invisible beneath, and finally arrive at how the visible is affected by the invisible."
Journal For Bhutan Studies, 2019
This paper investigates how the practice of communal festivals in Bhutan results in forming commu... more This paper investigates how the practice of communal festivals in Bhutan results in forming communal identity, with a focus on Vajrayana Buddhist cham 1 festivals. It seeks to close the gap between scholarly publications that address the formal content of festivals, and arguments for identity formation as an outcome of festival practices by centring the festival participants between these two positions. Drawing on the results of my long-term case study of the Korphu Drub, a cham festival performed by the Korphu community in Trongsa District, the paper shows how social actors carry out festival action in relation to their status and knowledge as community members throughout time. I trace the different age grades and genders in their lives coming along with specific social statuses, and connect these to the changing ascribed / achieved positions and works taken up during the festivals throughout one lifetime. This is to show how communal identity evolves as an ongoing process of reflexivity between the individual festival participant and his/her community. Last, I relate my observations to the concept of rites of passage and propose that the Korphu Drub can be understood as a substitute for missing rites of passage in Korphu, which additionally fosters identification with one’s community.
Die Acht Aspekte des Kostbaren Lehrers – Padmasambhava in Kunst und Ritual im Himalaya (The Eight Aspects of the Precious Teacher – Padmasambhava in Art and Ritual in the Himalayas), 2013
Talks, Conference Presentations & Workshops by Mareike Wulff
Talk hosted by University of Copenhagen & University of Manchester; https://asiandynamics.ku.dk/english/activities/calendar/cut-pleated-and-draped/, 2021
Talk hosted by University of Oxford, 2021
In April 2019, Dasho Karma Ura, the director of the Centre for Bhutan and GNH Studies in Thimphu,... more In April 2019, Dasho Karma Ura, the director of the Centre for Bhutan and GNH Studies in Thimphu, opened the Third International Vajrayana Conference, by stat- ing that he is taking pride in the fact that Bhutan is the last remaining Vajrayana Bud- dhist nation-state in the world, and his country consequently had a responsibility in safeguarding and preserving the Vajrayana Buddhist teachings. The prime minister of Bhutan, Dr. Lotay Tshering, gave an inaugural speech and H.M. Jigme Namgyal Wangchuck, the Fifth King of Bhutan offered a private audience to all international participants at the final day of the Conference, both of them reinforcing Bhutan’s strong sense of ownership of the Vajrayana Buddhist teachings as their ‘main stake- holders’. The conference was attended by a wide range of international scholars and practitioners of Vajrayana Buddhism, as well the local intellectual elite and people in power.
The Bhutanese Buddhist state was founded by a Tibetan Lama and many important Tibet-born Buddhist authorities directly impacted Bhutan by spreading the Buddhist teachings there in person. Still, in present discourse, Bhutanese exclusively refer to their Buddhist practice as Vajrayana and Mahayana Buddhism, rather than ‘Tibetan Buddhism’, and when talking about their liturgical language solely use the term chos skad (“dharma language”), avoiding the English term “Classical Tibetan” at all costs. Obviously, there is a politically motivated necessity to protect the tiny state’s sover- eignty by means of emphasising its distinctive culture which is not to be equalled with Tibetan culture, stressing Bhutan’s ‘Non-Tibetanness’.
When researching Bhutan’s communal Vajrayana festivals, I was often taken aback, how different Bhutanese practice of ‘cham festivals is in comparison to all festivals I had observed in Ladakhi/Zanskari and Tibetan-exile monasteries in India and what I knew from literature about ‘chams located in Tibet. As a consequence, I started to understand Bhutanese practice of ‘Tibetan Buddhism’ as syncretism, a “creative blend- ing of indigenous and foreign beliefs or practices into new cultural forms” (Havilland 2013), resulting in ‘Bhutaneseness’ of Vajrayana Buddhism in Bhutan, rather than ‘Ti- betanness’. Drawing on my field research, I would like to discuss ‘Non-Tibetanness’ and the transformation of ‘Tibetanness’ into ‘Bhutaneseness’ using the example of communal ‘cham festivals in Bhutan.
Warum Cham nicht (dramatisches) Theater ist. Cham sind Maskentanzrituale, die in allen Himalaya-R... more Warum Cham nicht (dramatisches) Theater ist. Cham sind Maskentanzrituale, die in allen Himalaya-Regionen von Praktizierenden des tibetischen Buddhismus für Laiengemeinschaften aufgeführt werden. Dem nicht in die buddhistische Symbolik eingeweihten westlichen Laien, der den Cham-Tänzen als Besucher beiwohnt, mögen die Aufführungen wie eine nicht lesbare Theaterform erscheinen, bei denen die Choreographien und die dargestellten Charaktere unverständlich bis exotisch anmuten. Kostümierte Tänzer mit Masken führen vor einem ‚Publikum' innerhalb eines ‚bühnen-ähnlichen' Raumes eine Performance auf. Der westliche Cham-Beobachter, der in die esoterischen Bedeutungen der Ritualexperten eingeweiht ist, erkennt die sich an Mandalas orientierenden Bewegungen und durch Maske/Kostüm dargestellten Gottheiten des buddhistischen Pantheons. Ihm stellen sich Cham als komplexe buddhistische Meditationspraxis dar, die sowohl dem ‚Performer' als auch dem ‚Zuschauer' als transformatives Ritual zugute kommen sollen. Viele westliche Theatergänger erkennen im Cham Tendenzen, die dem westlichen dramatischen Theater im Laufe seiner Evolution fast gänzlich verloren gegangen scheinen – seine Ritualität. Der Betrachtung und Analyse der ‚fertigen' Performance, möchte ich eine weitere Perspektive hinzufügen. Im Sinne meiner eigenen Erfahrung als Theaterpraktizierende werde ich den Fokus auf die Prozesse ‚hinter der Bühne' und ‚vor der Aufführung' lenken. Ich bespreche Unterschiede und Gemeinsamkeiten von Cham und westlicher, vorwiegend kontemporärer dramatischer, Theaterpraxis in Bezug auf ihre Entstehungsprozesse. Besonders interessieren mich die Beziehungen der Praktizierenden unter-und miteinander, und zu ihrem Sujet.
![Research paper thumbnail of The (un)changing faces of Rahula The movement of Buddhist ritual mask[s] along the Himalayas from Bhutan to Ladakh/Zanskar](https://a.academia-assets.com/images/blank-paper.jpg)
This paper explores how the same material objects, ritual masks in this case, are perceived in di... more This paper explores how the same material objects, ritual masks in this case, are perceived in different ways in geographically distant places and social surroundings. It tries to determine if masks have the power to uphold connections between two places separated not just by space but also time and if they are able to embody historical and political affairs.
Since the foundation of the Bhutanese state by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel (1616-1651), there have been a series of relations between Bhutanese ruling classes and Ladakhi kings (Dargye & Soerensen 2008), who joined forces against their mutual enemy Tibet. In this context, such collaborations resulted in the exchange of religious views and rituals which were brought from Bhutan to Ladakh, some of which still have religious/political significance for Ladakhi and Bhutanese communities today.
Two similar sets of masks, in which the deity Rahula is central, are the subject of my research studies in Bhutan and Ladakh. These masks are used by monks for annual 'cham dance performances. One set is kept in the highly regarded and impressive Punakha Dzong of Bhutan, while the other is held in the small remote Bardan Gompa of Zanskar valley. The 'cham dance of Bardan Gompa is an example of the transfer of religious rituals embodied by ceremonial masks, and following the mask dance tradition of Punakha Dzong, across space and through time.

Ethnographic Drawing by Mareike Wulff
Exhibition by Mareike Wulff
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Edited Books by Mareike Wulff
Academic work, driven by a similar impulse, can range over an even wider territory. In this volume we aim to contribute to a better understanding of the world and its structures by crossing not only the boundaries marked by state border lines but also those of disciplines, cultures, and methodologies – as well as those defined by stereotypes and perspectives.
The authors of the contributions to this book are bound together by the subject of Tibetan and Himalayan Studies. Each of the chapters presents a unique viewpoint, approach, and crossing of a scientific boundary that can broaden our understanding of the region encapsulated by the highest mountains of our earth.
Papers by Mareike Wulff
"Sometimes what is of the utmost importance lies beneath. It is not the visible, that can be easily perceived from the outside, but what is hidden behind. This essay gathers the hidden layers of three Bhutanese ’cham costume ensembles. I discovered these during my research on a ’cham festival in Central Bhutan, in Korphu village, as part of my doctoral thesis. In order to fully see through Bhutanese ’cham attire (’cham chas; Dzongkha; Dz. in the following), I had to cross the boundary of its outer shell and advance to the layer beneath. I came to appreciate the interplay between the inside and outside, and how the invisible sustains the visible. For all three examples I start by describing the outer layer first, continue by explaining the invisible beneath, and finally arrive at how the visible is affected by the invisible."
Talks, Conference Presentations & Workshops by Mareike Wulff
The Bhutanese Buddhist state was founded by a Tibetan Lama and many important Tibet-born Buddhist authorities directly impacted Bhutan by spreading the Buddhist teachings there in person. Still, in present discourse, Bhutanese exclusively refer to their Buddhist practice as Vajrayana and Mahayana Buddhism, rather than ‘Tibetan Buddhism’, and when talking about their liturgical language solely use the term chos skad (“dharma language”), avoiding the English term “Classical Tibetan” at all costs. Obviously, there is a politically motivated necessity to protect the tiny state’s sover- eignty by means of emphasising its distinctive culture which is not to be equalled with Tibetan culture, stressing Bhutan’s ‘Non-Tibetanness’.
When researching Bhutan’s communal Vajrayana festivals, I was often taken aback, how different Bhutanese practice of ‘cham festivals is in comparison to all festivals I had observed in Ladakhi/Zanskari and Tibetan-exile monasteries in India and what I knew from literature about ‘chams located in Tibet. As a consequence, I started to understand Bhutanese practice of ‘Tibetan Buddhism’ as syncretism, a “creative blend- ing of indigenous and foreign beliefs or practices into new cultural forms” (Havilland 2013), resulting in ‘Bhutaneseness’ of Vajrayana Buddhism in Bhutan, rather than ‘Ti- betanness’. Drawing on my field research, I would like to discuss ‘Non-Tibetanness’ and the transformation of ‘Tibetanness’ into ‘Bhutaneseness’ using the example of communal ‘cham festivals in Bhutan.
Since the foundation of the Bhutanese state by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel (1616-1651), there have been a series of relations between Bhutanese ruling classes and Ladakhi kings (Dargye & Soerensen 2008), who joined forces against their mutual enemy Tibet. In this context, such collaborations resulted in the exchange of religious views and rituals which were brought from Bhutan to Ladakh, some of which still have religious/political significance for Ladakhi and Bhutanese communities today.
Two similar sets of masks, in which the deity Rahula is central, are the subject of my research studies in Bhutan and Ladakh. These masks are used by monks for annual 'cham dance performances. One set is kept in the highly regarded and impressive Punakha Dzong of Bhutan, while the other is held in the small remote Bardan Gompa of Zanskar valley. The 'cham dance of Bardan Gompa is an example of the transfer of religious rituals embodied by ceremonial masks, and following the mask dance tradition of Punakha Dzong, across space and through time.

Ethnographic Drawing by Mareike Wulff
Exhibition by Mareike Wulff
Academic work, driven by a similar impulse, can range over an even wider territory. In this volume we aim to contribute to a better understanding of the world and its structures by crossing not only the boundaries marked by state border lines but also those of disciplines, cultures, and methodologies – as well as those defined by stereotypes and perspectives.
The authors of the contributions to this book are bound together by the subject of Tibetan and Himalayan Studies. Each of the chapters presents a unique viewpoint, approach, and crossing of a scientific boundary that can broaden our understanding of the region encapsulated by the highest mountains of our earth.
"Sometimes what is of the utmost importance lies beneath. It is not the visible, that can be easily perceived from the outside, but what is hidden behind. This essay gathers the hidden layers of three Bhutanese ’cham costume ensembles. I discovered these during my research on a ’cham festival in Central Bhutan, in Korphu village, as part of my doctoral thesis. In order to fully see through Bhutanese ’cham attire (’cham chas; Dzongkha; Dz. in the following), I had to cross the boundary of its outer shell and advance to the layer beneath. I came to appreciate the interplay between the inside and outside, and how the invisible sustains the visible. For all three examples I start by describing the outer layer first, continue by explaining the invisible beneath, and finally arrive at how the visible is affected by the invisible."
The Bhutanese Buddhist state was founded by a Tibetan Lama and many important Tibet-born Buddhist authorities directly impacted Bhutan by spreading the Buddhist teachings there in person. Still, in present discourse, Bhutanese exclusively refer to their Buddhist practice as Vajrayana and Mahayana Buddhism, rather than ‘Tibetan Buddhism’, and when talking about their liturgical language solely use the term chos skad (“dharma language”), avoiding the English term “Classical Tibetan” at all costs. Obviously, there is a politically motivated necessity to protect the tiny state’s sover- eignty by means of emphasising its distinctive culture which is not to be equalled with Tibetan culture, stressing Bhutan’s ‘Non-Tibetanness’.
When researching Bhutan’s communal Vajrayana festivals, I was often taken aback, how different Bhutanese practice of ‘cham festivals is in comparison to all festivals I had observed in Ladakhi/Zanskari and Tibetan-exile monasteries in India and what I knew from literature about ‘chams located in Tibet. As a consequence, I started to understand Bhutanese practice of ‘Tibetan Buddhism’ as syncretism, a “creative blend- ing of indigenous and foreign beliefs or practices into new cultural forms” (Havilland 2013), resulting in ‘Bhutaneseness’ of Vajrayana Buddhism in Bhutan, rather than ‘Ti- betanness’. Drawing on my field research, I would like to discuss ‘Non-Tibetanness’ and the transformation of ‘Tibetanness’ into ‘Bhutaneseness’ using the example of communal ‘cham festivals in Bhutan.
Since the foundation of the Bhutanese state by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel (1616-1651), there have been a series of relations between Bhutanese ruling classes and Ladakhi kings (Dargye & Soerensen 2008), who joined forces against their mutual enemy Tibet. In this context, such collaborations resulted in the exchange of religious views and rituals which were brought from Bhutan to Ladakh, some of which still have religious/political significance for Ladakhi and Bhutanese communities today.
Two similar sets of masks, in which the deity Rahula is central, are the subject of my research studies in Bhutan and Ladakh. These masks are used by monks for annual 'cham dance performances. One set is kept in the highly regarded and impressive Punakha Dzong of Bhutan, while the other is held in the small remote Bardan Gompa of Zanskar valley. The 'cham dance of Bardan Gompa is an example of the transfer of religious rituals embodied by ceremonial masks, and following the mask dance tradition of Punakha Dzong, across space and through time.