Jonathan Samuels

I joined the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies in January 2025, as a Postdoctoral Researcher. I am a member of the project “Law in historic Tibet: translating the Dalai Lamas’ legal texts”. This scrutinises a corpus of 17th century Tibetan legal works (titled zhal lce), attempting to understand their unique formulation of concepts and practices, together with the social and political background behind their composition.

I completed my DPhil in Tibetan & Himalayan Studies, Oxford University, Faculty of Oriental Studies (now known as Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies) in 2014. Subsequently, I held research positions at Heidelberg University (Cluster of Excellence, Asia and Europe in a Global Context), Wolfson College, Oxford (JRF Tibetan and Himalayan Studies), and the Austrian Academy of Sciences (Post-doc researcher, Institute for the Cultural and Intellectual History of Asia). Prior to entering academia, I resided for many years in India and Nepal, where I followed the traditional course of studies in the Tibetan monastic system, upon completion of which I earned the scholastic title of Geshe.

My research has encompassed fieldwork-based investigation, working with communities in south Asia, especially the Tamang ethnic group in Nepal, whose cultural heritage is the focus of my DPhil dissertation. I also continue to pursue an interest in Buddhist philosophy, particularly the tradition of dialectical enquiry, which I first encountered during my time in Tibetan monastic institutions. But my approach is predominantly that of a historian. I specialise in medieval Buddhist scholasticism, the evolution of monastic education in Tibet, and the role of public disputation in Asia during the medieval period. My publications include books on Tibetan language and Buddhist epistemology.

 Postdoctoral Researcher at the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies