Research Focus Group Talk: Children’s Literature from the Himalayas: Gesar Stories, Cultural Authenticity, and Folkloresque

Gesar is a warrior-like king in the realm of Ling and the protagonist of a voluminous folkloric poem that many Tibetan bards have performed for centuries. With Gesar’s increasing fame in modern times, the orature has become a quintessential representation of Tibetan culture. By comparing two children’s books that draw on the Gesar tradition, Tibetan Heroic Epic: Gesar Children’s Literature Collection and Gesar Epic: Hor-Ling Battle, Zhuoga will discuss the meaning and relevance of cultural authenticity in children’s books. With Gesar’s adaptation in children’s literature as an example, Zhuoga argues that cultural authenticity is not an imagined reservoir of immutability. Instead, authenticity is generated from changes made by people who know and own that particular culture.

Qimei Zhuoga, pronounced as Chemi Droka in the Tibetan language, completed her Ph.D. at the University of Canterbury (New Zealand) and her M.A. in English Literature at the University of Leeds (UK). Qimei Zhuoga is a lecturer at the School of Foreign Languages and Cultures, Tibet University.

Zoom attendance link here

Sponsored by the IHC’s Global Childhood Media Research Focus Group