KU doctoral student wins competitive fellowship for international research

LAWRENCE — Carolisa Watson, doctoral student in geography at the University of Kansas, has earned the distinguished Dwight D. Eisenhower/Clifford Roberts Graduate Fellowship from the Eisenhower Institute at Gettysburg College.

The institute awards the fellowship to doctoral students from select institutions who are studying topics related to the role of government in a free society, public service, public policy and an improved understanding of the U.S. role in world affairs. The $10,000 stipend will support Watson in the completion of her dissertation, “On the Precipice: Precariousness and Resilience Among Tibetan Exiles in Dharamshala, India.”

Watson’s research broadly explores questions of place-making, home and identity.

“My goal is to examine, reflect on and challenge the role of place in the lived experience and expression of identities, perceptions, interpretations and representations of Tibetans in India,” Watson wrote of her studies.

“In the context of Tibetan refugees, I argue that the confluence of governmental, economic, spiritual, social and environmental expectations by Tibetans, Indians and tourists actively shape, perpetuate and reproduce narratives of identity and belonging, which are reflected in the processes of utilizing space to fulfill the community needs of Tibetan refugees. This creates tensions between tradition and modernity, needs and wants, and expectations and reality, creating ethical and moral dilemmas for the Tibetan inhabitants of Dharamshala and their interlocutors.”

RB Perelmutter, Watson’s mentor and professor of Slavic, German & Eurasian studies and Jewish studies, said Watson’s dissertation would help with understanding refugee experiences as well as the daily life dilemmas and social organization of Tibetan refugees who face an uncertain future.

“Carolisa’s archival research, as well as participant interviews in Dharamshala, help understand how Tibetan refugees in Dharamshala engage in place-making practices to resist the Indian government’s pressure to assimilate, maintain cultural continuity and engage in identity-rich practices in Dharamshala, a temporary and precarious home, which has hosted the community for a long time now,” Perelmutter said.

Watson’s research aims to show how Tibetans in Dharamshala maintain their cultural and religious heritage while navigating the federal limitations imposed on them, such as their special guest status and Tibetan rehabilitation policies.

“This study demonstrates how historical shifts in power and economic opportunities between Indians and Tibetans, as well as the globalization of Tibetan Buddhism, contribute to the shaping and reshaping of Tibetan livelihoods in Dharamshala,” Watson wrote.

Watson, a first-generation college student, earned a master’s degree in folklore and ethnomusicology from Indiana University, as well as bachelor’s degrees in East Asian languages and global & international studies from KU.

She has previously served as an Institute for Policy & Social Research Doctoral Fellow as well as a Hall Center for Humanities Scholar and Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program Scholar.

She was a 2022 recipient of the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Award.