Trident Author Series
Janet Ward Schofield & Discovering Bhutan
Tuesday, September 23rd, 2025
About: Discovering Bhutan: Land of Gross National Happiness
About Discovering Bhutan:
Discovering Bhutan provides an engaging and informative introduction to this remote and little-known Himalayan kingdom. It describes Bhutan’s extraordinary natural environment, discusses the ways in which its steep topography has impacted its development and examines the consequences of its strong environmental sustainability policies for everyday life. It examines how fundamental tenets of Bhutan’s tantric Buddhism are evidenced in the daily lives of monks and demonstrates how animist beliefs help preserve the environment. Core aspects of Bhutanese identity including devotion to the monarchy, respect for authority, and deep connection to community and the extended family are highlighted as are evolving gender roles and marital practices. Finally, the origin of the idea of Gross National Happiness is explained and the extent to which Bhutan has moved toward its goals in that regard is discussed. This travelogue intertwines material from newspapers, folktales and other sources with the author’s extraordinary experiences during her decade in Bhutan to provide a vivid picture of a unique country and to stimulate Western readers to reflect on what can be learned from it.
About Janet Ward Schofield:
Prize-winning author Janet Ward Schofield has travelled to over one hundred countries on five continents. Bhutan, where she went on a one-year contract to help establish the country’s first private college and stayed for over a decade, is her favorite. Before that, she was a professor of psychology for many years at the U. of Pittsburgh, and before that she taught at Spelman College.
She has had Fulbright Fellowships in Poland and North Macedonia and consulted for Singapore’s National Institute of Education, Cambodia’s Center for the Study of Peace and Conflict and Germany’s WZB Berlin Social Science Research Centre. She has given invited talks on five continents from Abu Dhabi and Australia to Uzbekistan. Her professional activities within the US range from leading a workshop for US Senators and Congressional Representatives to serving on National Academy of Sciences Boards and Committees. She was also elected to the governing body of the 173,000 member American Psychological Association, representing the Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict and Violence on the APA Council of Representatives.
Janet earned her AB, MA and PhD from Harvard University, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Her previous books on topics including intergroup relations and education have been characterized as “brilliant,” “stunning” and “important” in reviews and commentary by noted individuals and her newest one, Discovering Bhutan, has received similar accolades including “superb, ” “insightful and fascinating” and “A must read.” She now lives in Boulder.
