International Law and Political Concepts in Early Twentieth Century Tibet and Mongolia
4–5 December 2025
La Maison de l’Asie, 22 avenue du Président Wilson, 75116 Paris
Organised by Fabienne Jagou and Uradyn E. Bulag
Within the frame of the ANR Project “Building Nationalism in Inner Asia: The Empowerment of the Tibetan Revolution in the Early Twentieth Century” (ANR-21-CE27-0025-Natinasia)
hosted by the French School of Asian Studies (EFEO)
Considerable attention has been devoted to the interplay of international law and the transition from the Qing empire to the Republic of China. However, less widely acknowledged are the roles of Tibetans and Mongolians in imagining their own national communities. The prevailing academic narrative, largely influenced by Chinese perspectives, often portrays their independence movements as mere secessionism, products of external instigation by the British and Russians. This conference aims to shift the focus to recognize and explore closely the agency of the Tibetan and Mongolian peoples in shaping their own destinies during the first decades of the twentieth century.
Central to our inquiries in the conference is the extent to which international law informed not only their respective declarations of independence but also the ways in which Tibetans and Mongolians employed these new concepts to understand their respective places in the new global order. How, for instance, did political actors in Inner Asia communicate new conceptions of state to their peoples, their regional rivals, and the international community? And through what channels did Tibetans and Mongolians exchange and influence each other’s conceptions of nationalism, the state, and independence?
By delving into these questions, this conference seeks to introduce a more nuanced understanding of the historical and legal contexts surrounding the early twentieth century Tibetan and Mongolian aspirations for nationhood.
Thursday 4 December 2025
9:30: Welcome Address
Session I: Independence
Moderator: Aurore Dumont
10:00–10:30
Uradyn E. Bulag
Hosting the Sovereign: Bataille, Excess, and Mongolia’s Double Independence from the Qing and Tibet (1904–1913)
10:30–11:00
Dakpa Kunga
The recreation of the Manchu imperial style nation-state model proposed by Qing court minister Fiyanggū in 1902
Coffee break
11:30–12:00
Batsaikhan Ooknoi
Restoration of Mongolian Statehood in 1911 and Buddhism: the 8th Bogd Jebtsundamba Khutuktu
12:00–12:30
Scott Relyea
A Political History for Tibet: Tsepon W.D. Shakabpa and the Dalai Lama’s 1913 Proclamation
12:30–13:00: Discussion
Lunch on site
Session II: Political Language
Moderator: Xénia de Heering
14:00–14:30
Ugyan Choedup
Mi Rigs: The Early Emergence of Tibetan Nationalist Vocabulary
14:30–15:00
Zumber Orluud
Mongolian Independence and International Law, 1911–1914
Coffee break
15:30–16:00
Darig Thokmay
From Priest–Patron to Nation-State: Shifts in Tibetan Political Language
16:00–16:30
Bianca Horlemann
The Gansu Mission to Lhasa in 1919/20 and how Tibetan Independence is Reflected by the Language Used in Contemporary Sources Dealing with or Stemming from this Mission
16:30–17:00: Discussion
Friday 5 December 2025
Session III: Conception of Law and People
Moderator: Béatrice Jaluzot
10:30–11:00
Makoto Tachibana
Imagining the Territory: International Law, Effective Control, and Custom Duties
Coffee break
11:30–12:00
Lobsang Yongdan
Sacred Bonds: Reinterpreting the Chöyön Relationship between Tibet and the Qing
12:00–12:30
Zolboo Sandagjav
A State of “Jinkini Arad” (Genuine People): Rise and Fall of “Mongolian National Democrats” in 1924–1928
12:30–13:00: Discussion
Lunch on site
Session IV: Diplomacy
Moderator: Bianca Horlemann
14:00–14:30
Ling-wei Kung
Information, Translation, and Power: Iuming Suez (1881–1940) and the Transformation of Sino-Tibetan-Indian Relations
14:30–15:00
Wada Daichi
The 13th Dalai Lama’s “Diplomacy” with Buddhists in Beijing
Coffee break
15:30–16:00
Fabienne Jagou
The Making of Modern Tibetan Diplomacy: Sovereignty, Negotiation, and International Recognition (1888–1914)
16:00–16:30
Yumiko Ishihama in absentia
Support for the 13th Dalai Lama by the Japanese Buddhist Community
16:30–17:00: Discussion
*Please note that unless otherwise indicated, meal attendance is for conference participants only*
Contact information: natinasia@efeo.net
