Lectures on Bhutan – Jan 9th, 2019

Two Distinguished Lectures on Bhutan: The Land of the Thunder Dragon and Gross National Happiness

An afternoon of two Distinguished Public Lectures on Bhutan, by the Former Prime Minister of Bhutan, His Excellency Dasho Tshering Tobgay, and the President of the Center for Bhutan Studies & Gross National Happiness, Dasho Karma Ura.

The lectures took place at the Sheldonian Theatre.

3:00-4:30 pm His Excellency Dasho Tshering Tobgay spoke on Does Bhutan Matter? Stories from a Young Democracy, chaired by the former Chairman of the General Board, University of Oxford, Dr Ralph Walker. To watch this insightful lecture, please click here

5:00-6:30 pm Dasho Dr Karma Ura gave a lecture on Development with Integrity: Bhutan’s Development and its Gross National Happiness Index, chaired by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, Professor Louise Richardson. Discussants included Martine Durand (Chief Statistician, OECD) and James Foster (Professor of Economics and International Affairs at George Washington University). To watch the lecture, please click here.

This event was part of a larger conference (ISBS Conference) that took place in Oxford from 8-10 January 2019. The International Society of Bhutan Studies (ISBS) launch conference was held at Magdalen College, seeking to develop the study of Bhutanese culture, life and nature in all aspects and encourage, inspire and motivate interest in lesser-known aspects and promote and strengthen the areas of existing concentration. ISBS exists primarily to encourage academic exchange, among both Bhutanese and foreign scholars, and secondarily to contribute to the happiness of future generations.

Scholarship across disciplines to study and serve