Michael Ium

Primarily, Michael is a historian of religion with specialties in Tibet and South Asia. His research explores how both religions traditions and their scholarly depictions have been constructed. Based on the translation and critical examination of classical Tibetan texts from a range of genres, his dissertation focused on the early history of Ganden Monastery in Tibet, and the ways in which that history influenced the construction of the Geluk tradition. In particular, his research challenges dominant conceptions of this tradition (as predominantly monastic, clerical, and rational in nature) by asserting the importance of magical powers (i.e., the powers of a tantric mahāsiddha), prophecy, and devotional practices such as pilgrimage to the growth of this tradition. During this fellowship, he plans to compose a monograph based on this research, as well as to launch a second project involving a broader study of prophecy in Tibet.