Molly Gilbert-Chatalic

Molly Gilbert-Chatalic serves as an English lecturer within the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at the University of Western Brittany, France. She is actively involved in the Heritage and Creation in Text and Image research laboratory (HCTI, EA 4249), where she contributes to interdisciplinary studies bridging American and Tibetan cultural domains. Her academic profile reflects a deep engagement with the dynamics of religion, minority identities, and countercultural movements in the United States and Tibetan diaspora communities.

Her academic qualifications include:

• English Aggregation (1997)
• Doctoral Thesis: "The establishment of Buddhism in the United States: towards Americanization?" (defended in 2006 at Bordeaux 3 under the direction of Bernadette Rigal-Cellard)
• DS in Tibetan from INALCO (2000)

Professor Chatalic's research expertise lies at the intersection of American Civilization and Tibetan Studies. She investigates religious pluralism, particularly the adaptation of Buddhism in the United States, and examines minority and countercultural movements, including feminism and ethnic identity formation. Her work on the Tibetan diaspora explores cultural preservation, literary expressions, and religious practices in transnational contexts. She also analyzes the interplay between material culture and spirituality in Tibetan writing and the role of women in religious leadership.

Analysis of her recent publications (2022-2024) reveals a sustained emphasis on Tibetan-American identity, the materiality of Tibetan script, and gender dynamics in American Buddhist communities. She has contributed to understanding how Tibetan refugees navigate American society while preserving cultural heritage, and how countercultural movements in the U.S. have been influenced by Eastern philosophies. Her work often employs interdisciplinary methodologies drawing from religious studies, anthropology, and literary analysis.

As a member of the Heritage and Creation in Text and Image (HCTI) research laboratory (EA 4249), Dr. Chatalic collaborates on projects examining textual and visual representations across cultures. The laboratory provides a framework for her investigations into the transmission of cultural heritage and the creation of new identities in migratory contexts.