[INDOLOGY] Johannes Bronkhorst gone

Thu May 15 16:51:19 UTC 2025

Dear friends and colleagues,

I cannot recall there ever having seen so many expressions of sympathy on this List so quickly following the passing of a dear colleague. This shows how much Johannes was appreciated and liked. Perhaps this reaction was due to the shocking circumstances of his death, which decency forbids to comment on, but even more so to the fact that he was a truly unusual, lovable, open-minded, humorous and inspiring person who had an admirable woman by his side. For me Johannes, whom I met regularly during my years in Switzerland and afterwards, was an astute and widely interested person whose interests extended far beyond his main discipline. It is too early for an obituary, and others are better qualified to write one, but perhaps it is important to emphasise that his work on asceticism, ritual, Magadha, grammar, philosophy and theory of religion(s) almost always stimulated high-level debates. Such a versatile and interdisciplinary Indologist has become rare.

Sadly, Johannes demonstrated his courage to break new ground right up to the end.

Best wishes for him and Joy!
Axel / Michaels

From: INDOLOGY <indology-bounces at list.indology.info> on behalf of "indology at list.indology.info" <indology at list.indology.info>
Reply to: Timothy Lubin <lubint at wlu.edu>
Date: Thursday, 15. May 2025 at 18:27
To: "indology at list.indology.info" <indology at list.indology.info>
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] Johannes Bronkhorst gone

Dear colleagues,

Like many others who have sent notes, I valued Johannes as a scholar of great breadth and depth, but also as a warmly supportive senior colleague, from our earliest interactions at conferences when I was new to the field.  We had many exchanges over the last two decades especially on the formation of Brahmanical tradition.  His writings and talks always struck me as a model of lucidly presented and careful argumentation. He was adept at working outward from detailed, textually grounded analysis to address larger implications and stimulating big-picture hypotheses, both in South Asian cultural history and in the study of religions.  His final annual message with links to his 2025 publications — which I was perplexed to receive so early in the year — again exhibits the range of his interests and writing.

For this reason, I was delighted when, almost exactly a decade ago, he agreed to extend his visit to the US after the AOS conference in New Orleans to accept my invitation to deliver the 2015 Root Lecture at WLU on the topic “Can Religion be Explained?”  Adding the extra leg to his travels was no trivial complication for him since his osteoarthritis already was making air travel painful.  My wife and I enjoyed the opportunity to welcome him to our university, and to drive him along the Blue Ridge Parkway to take in the views of the Shenandoah Valley.  He was a kind, engaging man and an exemplary humanist, and I am sorry that he and Joy have left us.

Best,
Tim Lubin
WLU

From: INDOLOGY <indology-bounces at list.indology.info> on behalf of INDOLOGY <indology at list.indology.info>
Reply-To: Harry Falk <falk at zedat.fu-berlin.de>
Date: Wednesday, May 14, 2025 at 2:47 PM
To: INDOLOGY <indology at list.indology.info>
Subject: [INDOLOGY] Johannes Bronkhorst gone

Dear friends and colleagues,
I have just received the news that Johannes Bronkhorst left this world
today at noon in a controlled manner, as was his custom, together with his
beloved wife Joy Manné.
He sent the last batch of his papers just a few days ago. He will be
remembered as an innovative and inspired scientist, a cheerful person and
a true and dear friend.
Sadly.
Harry Falk

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