Knowledge as Hegemony: What the Cancellation of the IATS Conference Reveals

In the backdrop of the recent cancellation of the International Association for Tibetan Studies (IATS) conference, which was scheduled to be in Kathmandu over Aug 23-29, Ifrah Khalil Kawa* reflects on how contemporary geopolitical power increasingly extends beyond territorial control to shape academic spaces and the production of knowledge. Drawing on the ideas of Michel Foucault and Antonio Gramsci, alongside her fieldwork in Ladakh, Ifrah Khalil argues that the politics surrounding Tibet today must also be understood through the politics of knowledge and academic freedom.

"The significance of this moment extends well beyond Nepal. Contemporary discussions of Tibet often focus on territory, sovereignty and diplomacy. We measure geopolitical power through military deployments, infrastructure projects or economic influence. Yet the Kathmandu episode reminds us that power also operates in quieter ways. It determines which conversations take place, which archives remain accessible, which histories receive attention and, perhaps most importantly, which forms of knowledge are allowed to circulate. The struggle over Tibet is therefore not only territorial. It is also epistemic. It concerns the conditions under which Tibet itself can be studied."

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