معرفی
Dr. Franz Xaver Erhard is a Researcher specializing in Tibetology at the University of Leipzig's Faculty of History, Arts and Oriental Studies, where he serves as project leader for the DFG/AHRC project "Divergent Discourses" since April 2023. Previously, he acted as temporary professor for Tibetology since October 2022 and served as research associate from 2017-2021. He has also held academic positions at Oxford University including departmental lecturer and Junior Research Fellow.
His academic background includes:
- Doctoral studies in the DFG Research Training Group "Religious Nonconformism and Cultural Dynamics" at University of Leipzig (2010-2015)
- Post-doc member of the class "Religious Nonconformism and Cultural Dynamics" at Research Academy Leipzig (2015-2016)
Dr. Erhard's research focuses on Tibetan literature, media history, and life writing. His work examines narrative construction in Tibetan historical contexts, particularly through the lens of newspapers and autobiographical texts from the 1950s-1960s. He employs digital philology methods to analyze competing discourses between Chinese government and exile Tibetan communities. His scholarship bridges traditional Tibetan studies with computational approaches to textual analysis.
His recent publications demonstrate a consistent focus on Tibetan life writing, media history, and cultural transformation. The "Divergent Discourses" project represents a significant shift toward digital humanities methodologies applied to Tibetan newspaper archives. His work shows progression from literary analysis toward computational text analysis while maintaining core interests in Tibetan identity formation and historical representation.
Dr. Erhard has secured substantial research funding through the German Research Foundation (DFG), including:
- "Divergent Discourses: Processes of Narrative Construction in Tibet, 1955-62" (2023-2026)
- "Secular Biography in Early Modern Tibet: A Study of Kalon Tenzin Paljor's Autobiography 'Music of Candid Speech'" (2016-2021)
He has organized international conferences including the 4th International Seminar of Young Tibetologists (2015) and co-edited scholarly volumes such as "The Selfless Ego: Configurations of Identity in Tibetan Life Writing" (2021).
His research group focuses on digital approaches to Tibetan textual heritage, particularly newspaper archives from the mid-20th century. The "Divergent Discourses" project involves an international team analyzing competing narratives in Tibetan historical accounts from both Chinese government and exile community perspectives.
