Douglas Ober
Lecturer for History
Areas of expertise:
- South Asian History
- Religion in Asia
- Buddhist Studies
- Colonialism in Asia
Education:
- Ph.D., University of British Columbia, 2017
- M.A., University of Washington, 2009
- B.A., University of Puget Sound, 2004
About Douglas Ober
Douglas Ober is a historian of South Asia, Buddhism, and colonialism. Dr. Ober teaches courses in world history and enjoys showing students how their lives are deeply intertwined with global developments. With more than a decade of archival and ethnographic research experience across a dozen countries in Asia, he has published on numerous Asia-related issues such as foreign diplomacy in modern Asia, self-immolation in contemporary Tibet, the politics of religion, Hindu nationalism, colonial architecture, Soviet influence in Asia, Victorian literature in India, and the history of caste, among other issues.
Dr. Ober’s first book, Dust on the Throne: The Search for Buddhism in Modern India (Stanford University Press / Navayana, 2023), explores the history and historiography of Buddhism in India. Dust on the Throne was shortlisted for the 2023 Cundill Prize, was a finalist for the American Academy of Religion’s (AAR) Best First Book in the History of Religion (2024), and was longlisted for the 2024 Karwaan Book Award for distinguished non-fiction works on the history of the Indian subcontinent. The Los Angeles Review of Books called Dust on the Throne "broadly researched and vividly illuminated...eloquent and incisive, even lyric."
Dr. Ober has also co-edited two collections of essays on the history, anthropology, and politics of heritage and homelands in the journals South Asian History and Culture and Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. In addition to delivering numerous public lectures in Asia, Europe, and North America and being interviewed about his work on BBC History Extra, New Books Network, and The Hindu podcasts, his research has been featured in more than a dozen general media outlets around the globe, such as Tricycle (New York City), Asian Review of Books (Hong Kong), Hindustan Times (New Delhi), The News on Sunday (Islamabad), ThaiPublica (Bangkok), Himal (Colombo), among others.
A former U.S. Fulbright Fellow to India and Neubauer Fellow at the University of Chicago, Dr. Ober's research has been funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), Council for American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC), the Association for Asian Studies (AAS), and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). He is also an Honorary Research Associate at the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs (SPPGA) at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada.
Alongside his formal academic work, Dr. Ober has served on management committees serving Tibetan refugees in India. He also designed and ran several experiential education programs in the Indian Himalayas, the Sino-Tibetan borderlands of China, and the Baja peninsula of Mexico. He looks forward to bringing these opportunities to future Fort Lewis College students.
When not teaching, Doug generally enjoys any time spent outside, especially running and rock climbing. He welcomes email contacts and connections, so don't hesitate to reach out: dober@fortlewis.edu. dober@fortlewis.edu.