[INDOLOGY] reviews of Malhotra's books

[Matthew Kapstein]

Dear friends,

I have not wanted to wade into this quagmire, but one aspect of the debate I find so pernicious
that it requires some further comment. 

What we see emerging in some of these reviews and essays
is an "us versus them" mentality that places the traditional scholar/adhikārī on one
side of the equation and the contemporary/Western scholar on the other. This is a complete travesty in 
the face of over two centuries of fruitful collaboration between traditionally educated Sanskrit experts and
scholars formed in modern philology. Both sides have grown and been nurtured by their interactions with
the other. For those whose wish to hold that traditionally formed scholars have lived in a sort of intellectual
autarchy in which "outsiders" have nothing of value or interest to contribute, I suggest a close reading
of the works of the likes of Bhandarkar, Ganganath Jha, V. Raghavan, Narendra Dev, etc., etc. etc. The
examples may be multiplied almost without limit. Unfortunately, what seems to be occurring is not only
an intellectually irresponsible disparagement of Euro-American scholarship, but perhaps even more
troubling, a near complete amnesia with respect to the history of modern Indian scholarship in Sanskrit studies.


Matthew Kapstein
Directeur d'études,
Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes

Numata Visiting Professor of Buddhist Studies,
The University of Chicago

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