Dear Colleagues,

Audrey Truschke is hardly alone in her feeling that Indology can be unwelcoming to women.  I have heard this from quite a number of other colleagues and graduate students on various occasions in private conversation.

Indology is a small field, and if a significant proportion of the population feels unwelcome (sometimes or always) in our midst, then it is Indology itself that is harmed.  We all know it is often a fight to keep Indological posts open and to place scholars who work in our subject.

Another possible concrete step to address these issues, aside from those recommended by Audrey Truschke, might be to collect real data from our membership---numbers of women in Ph.D. programs, etc.  If an effort of this kind is undertaken, I would be happy to help (i.e., do some of the work). 

Sincerely,

John