From the early 1980s onward, the field of Tibetan studies hasbeentransformed by the opening of Tibet to foreign researchers.Thishas ushered in a new era of engagement with Tibet characterizedbypartnership between Tibetan scholars and theirinternationalcolleagues, and by an increasing focus on the study ofmodernTibet. Concomitant with this trend, the study oftraditionalTibetan society and the imperative for culturalpreservation hasgained a newfound sense of urgency as the oldergeneration ofTibetans, both in Tibet and in the Tibetan diaspora,began to passaway, taking their stories with them. This volume ofessays,Contemporary Visions in Tibetan Studies, reflects in manyways acritical phase in the discipline of Tibetan studies.Thecontributions, from promising young scholars, both Tibetanandnon-Tibetan from across the globe, are divided evenlybetweenessays that engage with the various modernities of Tibet,China andthe diaspora on the one hand, and more classicallyoriented studiesof history, culture and religion on the other. HereTibetantradition is scrutinized from without and within, sometimesupheldand sometimes revised. Reflecting the growth of the field anditsmovement away from assertions of Tibetan exceptionalism andtowardscross-disciplinary and cross-cultural projects, many of theessaysare problem-oriented, and their enquiries take them outsideof theconfines of the Tibetan cultural area and towards engagementwiththe wider world.