In her new work, Alison Melnick Dyer, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, explores the life and teachings of the Tibetan Buddhist nun, Mingyur Peldrön (1699–1769) and her role in reconstructing her religious community, despite the significant adversity she faced in a society dominated by men. Born to a powerful family, she received an unusually extensive education at Mindröling Monastery. She utilized her privilege to contribute to promote education for Tibetan Buddhist women, despite exile during a civil war and other obstacles presented by her gender. Alison employs literary and historical analysis, centered on a hagiography written by the nun’s disciple Gyurmé Ösel, to consider how privilege influences individual authority, how authoritative Buddhist women have negotiated their position in gendered contexts, and how the lives of historical Buddhist women are (and are not) memorialized by their communities.

“Dyer’s book is a meticulous analysis of the namthar of an important woman and female saint of the eighteenth century. . . [A] must-read for Tibetologists and historians of religion with an interest in gender. Scholars of Tibetan studies having other areas of specialization should read it as well, for it balances out the image of Tibetan Buddhism as a predominantly male-dominated and male-centered religion. The book is also written in a way that is comprehensible to students and scholars from other fields” – H-Net Reviews

James Fisher Prize: Award for best first book on the Himalayas, 2023. Presented by the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies.