[INDOLOGY] First Book Subvention

Tue Apr 9 11:41:27 UTC 2019

Dear Arlo Griffiths and colleagues,

The Ludo and Rosane Rocher Foundation is a non-profit private foundation incorporated in the State of Pennsylvania and subject to regulations of the US government and of the State of Pennsylvania for such foundations.  We proceed under advice from legal counsel.

The inspiration for this foundation, which Ludo and I took steps to set up in the last years of his life, was the Glasenapp Stiftung, established for the advancement of German Indology.  Although we have lived in different times and in different legal environments, we share the same goal of being as inclusive as we legally can on behalf of Indology.

After more than a decade when Ludo's prolonged illness and, even before, his increasing deafness prevented us from attending the annual meetings of the American Oriental Society, I have been cheered in the past two years to witness a new crop of Indologists, not only from North America, but also from diverse countries such as England, Denmark, India, and our native country of Belgium, present papers on the basis of their dissertations in progress or recently completed.  I invite you to attend these meetings or at least to look at the online programs of these meetings.  You will have no difficulty recognizing blossoming demonstrations of classical Indology and promises for its future, if adequately supported.

Ludo had his dissertation published, in English, by the University of Ghent.  Mine was published, in French, under an agreement between the Presses Universitaires de Bruxelles and the Presses Universitaires de France, at Louis Renou's recommendation.  We have not forgotten our European past and the advantage at which a published dissertation put us.

The estate of two Indologists is not that a billionaire.  Ludo and I had no fantasy of accomplishing everything that Indology could use.  But it has always been our hope and it remains my goal to foster young growth.  Hence "first books" as the first initiative of our foundation.  There will be other initiatives, particularly when the foundation is fully funded at my death.  In the mean time, I encourage caring established Indologists to provide young Indologists all the support they legally can everywhere.

Je serai de passage à Paris, Munich, Bonn, et Detmold pendant les deux semaines à venir.  Ce me serait un plaisir de vous y rencontrer.

Beste groeten,

Rosane Rocher
Professor Emerita of South Asia Studies, University of Pennsylvania
President, The Ludo and Rosane Rocher Foundation

On 4/9/19 1:41 AM, Arlo Griffiths via INDOLOGY wrote:
Dear Patrick,

The past few days I have had occasion to reflect on what I perceived as American normative imperialism, and to appreciate my fine female colleagues in French Indology who have spoken out with healthy nuance on some sensitive issues.

Now you share the announcement of a "first book subvention" instated in name of two Indologists who began their careers on this side of the Atlantic to support the work "of young scholars in the field of classical Indology". Great. But ... the announcement limits the meaning of "academic presses" to "either US university presses or the US offices of foreign academic presses, such as Oxford University Press". As far as I know, there are very few institutions in the USA today which even recognize such as field as "classical Indology". May I ask what is the rationale for limiting the scope of this subvention to young scholars who wish to publish in the USA, and who produce a kind of scholarship that is sufficiently compatible with normative conceptions of scholarship that are current in American academia to be publishable (by a young scholar) over there?

I could come up with a rather long list of "first books" that have, in my view, made important contributions to classical Indology but were not and probably could not have been published by any of the presses intended in your announcement. I wonder why this subvention would want to exclude such scholarship.

With warm greetings, from France,

Arlo Griffiths

________________________________
From: INDOLOGY <indology-bounces at list.indology.info><mailto:indology-bounces at list.indology.info> on behalf of Olivelle, J P via INDOLOGY <indology at list.indology.info><mailto:indology at list.indology.info>
Sent: Monday, April 8, 2019 3:28 PM
To: Indology; +++RISA ACADEMIC DISCUSSION LIST+++
Subject: [INDOLOGY] First Book Subvention

Dear All:

Apologies for cross-posting. The newly established Ludo and Rosane Rocher Foundation has created a “first books” program to provide subventions to young scholars seeking to publish their first book. Please see the attached notice. Please feel free to share this with scholars who may not subscribe to Indology or RISA. With best wishes,

Patrick

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