Indology in Berlin

[Harunaga Isaacson]

Dr. Ingo Strauch (Freie Universitaet Berlin) has requested the INDOLOGY
committee to post to the list a message which was sent a few days ago to the
Indo-Eurasian Research Yahoo group by Dr. Caren Dreyer. It is about a matter
which will surely be of concern to all Indologists. 

===
This is to inform [the List], that not only at Cambridge but also at
Berlin there will be no in-depth Sanskrit Studies any more in the near
future.

Since 1821 Sanskrit has been taught at a Berlin university by such well
known scholars as Bopp, Weber, Pischel, Lüders et al.

http://web.fu-berlin.de/indologie/geschichte/ph_allg1.html

Now as a result of structural policy of the two major Berlin
universities on the one hand and the over all BA/MA reforms on the other
there will be no more students after 2008 of Sanskrit in a BA-course. As
a consequence traditional Indology will cease to exist at Berlin.

http://web.fu-berlin.de/indologie/Zukunft.htm

There is no consolation in the fact, that the teaching of Indian
Art-History will survive for the time being as a subject under the roof
of General Art-History and Modern Indian History will still be taught at
Humboldt-University. Sanskrit and the other historical Indian Languages
and the bulk of literature and informations transmitted through them
will remain closed to all students of that fields.

To indologists these measures are obviously short sighted and ridiculous
in the light of the importance of Sanskrit and its derivates for the
development and spread of all cultures in India, Central- and
South-East-Asia.

It is deplorable that the many years fight of a scholar of great
international reputation as Harry Falk for the survival of his field at
one of the two Berlin universities seems to have been in vain.

For further information please contact:

Caren Dreyer:mail at caren-dreyer.de
or
Ingo Strauch: strauchi at zedat.fu-berlin.de

===

-- 
Prof. Dr. Harunaga Isaacson
Universität Hamburg
Asien-Afrika-Institut
Abteilung für Kultur und Geschichte Indiens und Tibets
Edmund-Siemers-Allee 1 (Hauptgebäude)
D-20146
Hamburg
Germany
tel. +49 (0)40 42838-3382