This Virtual Speaker Series session will be on Mongolian Buddhism in the modern world, with speakers Betsy Quammen and Manlai Chonos, and moderated by Dr. Marissa Smith. Betsy will discuss efforts to re-establish Buddhist sacred sites in Mongolia, specifically the reconstruction of Dayan Derkh Monastery. She will also touch on the monastery's story of Buddhism-Shamanic syncretism. Manlai will discuss reincarnation politics in Mongolian Buddhism and Mongolia's role between Tibetan government-in-exile and PRC.

Betsy Gaines Quammen is an environmental historian who studies how different cultures perceive landscape. She worked in Mongolia for eight years, among her projects was raising funds to rebuild the Dayan Derkh Monastery, a monastery in the Eg-Uur watershed demolished during the religious purges.

Manlai holds M.A in Contemporary East Asian studies from the University of Duisburg-Essen. He's interested in China's efforts and campaigns to boost its image across the world.