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Today's Topics:

   1. Date of K?mik?gama-uttarabh?ga (Harry Spier)
   2. Data of Edgerton's Grammar (Seishi Karashima)
   3. Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee (Audrey Truschke)
   4. Re: Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee
      (Jonathan Silk)
   5. Re: Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee
      (Aleix Ruiz Falqu?s)
   6. Unfounded accusations of Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY
      governing committee (Philipp Maas)
   7. Re: Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee (Jon Skarpeid)
   8. Re: Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee (KORN Agnes)
   9. Re: Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee
      (Aleix Ruiz Falqu?s)
  10. Re: Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee
      (Jonathan Silk)
  11. Re: Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee (Jon Skarpeid)
  12. Re: Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee
      (Audrey Truschke)
  13. Re: Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee
      (Walser, Joseph)
  14. Continuing my Krishna verses (Madhav Deshpande)
  15. Re: Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee
      (Aleksandar Uskokov)
  16. Re: Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee
      (Bradley Clough)
  17. Re:  Date of K?mik?gama-uttarabh?ga (Harry Spier)
  18. Audrey Truscke's Email Message (Nemec, John William (jwn3y))
  19. Re: Unfounded accusations of Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY
      governing committee (Tieken, H.J.H.)
  20. Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee
      (Ram-Prasad, Chakravarthi)
  21. Fw:  Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee
      (Ram-Prasad, Chakravarthi)
  22. Re: Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee (Jason Birch)



---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Harry Spier <hspier.muktabodha@gmail.com>
To: Indology <indology@list.indology.info>
Cc: 
Bcc: 
Date: Mon, 1 Apr 2019 18:10:37 -0400
Subject: [INDOLOGY] Date of Kāmikāgama-uttarabhāga

Dear list members,

Can anyone give me any information on the date of the Kāmikāgama-uttarabhāga.

Thanks,

Harry Spier

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Seishi Karashima <skarashima@gmail.com>
To: "indology@list.indology.info" <INDOLOGY@list.indology.info>
Cc: 
Bcc: 
Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2019 09:52:55 +0900
Subject: [INDOLOGY] Data of Edgerton's Grammar

Dear colleagues,

I know that the searchable data of Edgerton’s Buddhist Sanskrit Dictionary are made open on the internet. Does anybody have also the data of his Grammar? What I need is not a PDF but a Word-file with Sanskrit diacritical marks.

Dr. Katarzyna Marciniak and I are now making a three-volumed new edition of the Mahāvastu, basing on the 12th/13th century palm-leaf manuscript which retains many Middle Indic elements (Senart’s edition [1882~1897] was made on the basis of much Sanskritised manuscripts, dating from 1800 C.E.!, and he himself Sanskritised far further.). Accordingly, BHSG should be revised, because probably around 70% of the examples in it are quoted from Senart’s edition of the Mahāvastu. We are also planning to compile a glossary and grammar of the Mahāvastu, basing on the new edition in the same line with my work on the Abhisamācārikā Dharmāḥ of the same language and same school, namely Mahāsāṃghika-Lokottavādins –––– PDF is downloadable at the following websites:

http://iriab.soka.ac.jp/en/publication/bppb.html

https://www.academia.edu/14864500/

http://glossaries.dila.edu.tw/glossaries/ADV?locale=en

For this purpose, I need data (not PDF) of BHSG. If anybody has input data, please share them with me offline.

In this connection, I announce that the third volume of the new edition of the Mahāvastu, ed. by Dr. Marciniak, 635 pp., is just published from our institute (31/March/2019) and its PDF will be uploaded on the website of IRIAB (http://iriab.soka.ac.jp/en/publication/bppb.html) by the beginning of May.

With best regards,

Seishi Karashima

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Audrey Truschke <audrey.truschke@gmail.com>
To: Indology List <indology@list.indology.info>
Cc: 
Bcc: 
Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2019 09:55:13 +0200
Subject: [INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I am writing to call your attention to the entrenched, worsening sexism I have been experiencing on the INDOLOGY governing committee over the past year or so (I have served on the committee for six years). Other committee members have warned me not to publicly discuss the bullying and abuse that I have faced from them in private. I break my silence and go against their explicit instructions here.

I have repeatedly faced sexism within the INDOLOGY governing committee, ranging from patronizing comments to silencing of discussions about bias to overtly different standards applied to male and female members of the committee and list. I have tried many times to raise these issues internally among the committee and privately with specific individuals. I have been met with blanket denials, belittling of my concerns, declarations that discussing sexism is not a substantive issue, accusations of being a troublemaker, and flat out refusals to discuss gender issues. Indology as a discipline has deep-seated issues with male privilege, discrimination against female scholars, and even outright misogyny. The issues within INDOLOGY's male-dominated governing committee are arguably a reflection of this larger set of problems that systematically drives women out of the discipline. If Indology or INDOLOGY are going to survive in any worthwhile form, we must face our ongoing issues of sexism and bias. I have made numerous suggestions to the INDOLOGY governing committee in this regard, including striving for gender parity on the committee by adding more female members, conducting committee business more openly as a check on bullying, and undergoing bias training. I hope the committee follows up on these suggestions. But, to date, I have seen only a desire to circle the wagons and deny bias, rather than any serious attempt to make the committee or the list a more equitable place.

Last week, following another case where I documented and called out a committee member for acting with bias, that committee member wrote that if he were in my position, he would consider resigning from the committee. In other words, if I find members of the INDOLOGY committee discriminate against women, then I should bow out. I find that suggestion highly inappropriate, and I do not acquiesce to it here. But I will no longer serve as a punching bag for men who insist I keep quiet.

I expect to face significant pushback and recriminations for shedding light on the dark underbelly of the INDOLOGY governing committee. But, unlike many of my fellow committee members, I think that this is an issue for the list at large. Many of us, myself included, find scholarly value in this listserv. But knowledge exists within power structures, and I find that I can no longer stomach what I have to overlook in order to quietly run this forum. I think it is time for us to talk about the key issues of bias and sexism facing our discipline that make women unwelcome at every turn, including in running this listserv.

All the best,

Audrey

Audrey Truschke

Assistant Professor

Department of History
Rutgers University-Newark

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jonathan Silk <kauzeya@gmail.com>
To: Audrey Truschke <audrey.truschke@gmail.com>
Cc: Indology List <indology@list.indology.info>
Bcc: 
Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2019 10:19:53 +0200
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

Dear Dr Truschke

I am sure that there are many members of this list who are concerned. But I confess that with the (lack of) information you provide, it is impossible for me either to understand what is actually going on, or what you suggest be done to correct the situation.

I do not mean this in any way to be dismissive; it is a request for further information, and a proposed way forward.

J Silk

On Tue, Apr 2, 2019 at 9:56 AM Audrey Truschke via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I am writing to call your attention to the entrenched, worsening sexism I have been experiencing on the INDOLOGY governing committee over the past year or so (I have served on the committee for six years). Other committee members have warned me not to publicly discuss the bullying and abuse that I have faced from them in private. I break my silence and go against their explicit instructions here.

I have repeatedly faced sexism within the INDOLOGY governing committee, ranging from patronizing comments to silencing of discussions about bias to overtly different standards applied to male and female members of the committee and list. I have tried many times to raise these issues internally among the committee and privately with specific individuals. I have been met with blanket denials, belittling of my concerns, declarations that discussing sexism is not a substantive issue, accusations of being a troublemaker, and flat out refusals to discuss gender issues. Indology as a discipline has deep-seated issues with male privilege, discrimination against female scholars, and even outright misogyny. The issues within INDOLOGY's male-dominated governing committee are arguably a reflection of this larger set of problems that systematically drives women out of the discipline. If Indology or INDOLOGY are going to survive in any worthwhile form, we must face our ongoing issues of sexism and bias. I have made numerous suggestions to the INDOLOGY governing committee in this regard, including striving for gender parity on the committee by adding more female members, conducting committee business more openly as a check on bullying, and undergoing bias training. I hope the committee follows up on these suggestions. But, to date, I have seen only a desire to circle the wagons and deny bias, rather than any serious attempt to make the committee or the list a more equitable place.

Last week, following another case where I documented and called out a committee member for acting with bias, that committee member wrote that if he were in my position, he would consider resigning from the committee. In other words, if I find members of the INDOLOGY committee discriminate against women, then I should bow out. I find that suggestion highly inappropriate, and I do not acquiesce to it here. But I will no longer serve as a punching bag for men who insist I keep quiet.

I expect to face significant pushback and recriminations for shedding light on the dark underbelly of the INDOLOGY governing committee. But, unlike many of my fellow committee members, I think that this is an issue for the list at large. Many of us, myself included, find scholarly value in this listserv. But knowledge exists within power structures, and I find that I can no longer stomach what I have to overlook in order to quietly run this forum. I think it is time for us to talk about the key issues of bias and sexism facing our discipline that make women unwelcome at every turn, including in running this listserv.

All the best,

Audrey

Audrey Truschke

Assistant Professor

Department of History
Rutgers University-Newark

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

--

J. Silk
Leiden University

Leiden University Institute for Area Studies, LIAS

Matthias de Vrieshof 3, Room 0.05b

2311 BZ Leiden

The Netherlands

copies of my publications may be found at

https://leidenuniv.academia.edu/JASilk

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Aleix Ruiz Falqués" <arfalques@cantab.net>
To: Audrey Truschke <audrey.truschke@gmail.com>
Cc: Indology List <indology@list.indology.info>
Bcc: 
Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2019 15:41:07 +0630
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

Dear Audrey,

I am sure that there are a thousand things that can be improved. I think I know how you feel. Please see the following clause in one of the jobs I applied for, in Vienna, realted to Indology:

The University pursues a non-discriminatory employment policy and values equal opportunities, as well as diversity (http://diversity.univie.ac.at/). The University lays special emphasis on increasing the number of women in senior and in academic positions. Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female applicants. 

So much for non-discrimination.

Best wishes,

Aleix

On Tue, 2 Apr 2019 at 14:25, Audrey Truschke via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I am writing to call your attention to the entrenched, worsening sexism I have been experiencing on the INDOLOGY governing committee over the past year or so (I have served on the committee for six years). Other committee members have warned me not to publicly discuss the bullying and abuse that I have faced from them in private. I break my silence and go against their explicit instructions here.

I have repeatedly faced sexism within the INDOLOGY governing committee, ranging from patronizing comments to silencing of discussions about bias to overtly different standards applied to male and female members of the committee and list. I have tried many times to raise these issues internally among the committee and privately with specific individuals. I have been met with blanket denials, belittling of my concerns, declarations that discussing sexism is not a substantive issue, accusations of being a troublemaker, and flat out refusals to discuss gender issues. Indology as a discipline has deep-seated issues with male privilege, discrimination against female scholars, and even outright misogyny. The issues within INDOLOGY's male-dominated governing committee are arguably a reflection of this larger set of problems that systematically drives women out of the discipline. If Indology or INDOLOGY are going to survive in any worthwhile form, we must face our ongoing issues of sexism and bias. I have made numerous suggestions to the INDOLOGY governing committee in this regard, including striving for gender parity on the committee by adding more female members, conducting committee business more openly as a check on bullying, and undergoing bias training. I hope the committee follows up on these suggestions. But, to date, I have seen only a desire to circle the wagons and deny bias, rather than any serious attempt to make the committee or the list a more equitable place.

Last week, following another case where I documented and called out a committee member for acting with bias, that committee member wrote that if he were in my position, he would consider resigning from the committee. In other words, if I find members of the INDOLOGY committee discriminate against women, then I should bow out. I find that suggestion highly inappropriate, and I do not acquiesce to it here. But I will no longer serve as a punching bag for men who insist I keep quiet.

I expect to face significant pushback and recriminations for shedding light on the dark underbelly of the INDOLOGY governing committee. But, unlike many of my fellow committee members, I think that this is an issue for the list at large. Many of us, myself included, find scholarly value in this listserv. But knowledge exists within power structures, and I find that I can no longer stomach what I have to overlook in order to quietly run this forum. I think it is time for us to talk about the key issues of bias and sexism facing our discipline that make women unwelcome at every turn, including in running this listserv.

All the best,

Audrey

Audrey Truschke

Assistant Professor

Department of History
Rutgers University-Newark

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

--

Aleix Ruiz-Falqués

Pali Lecturer

Head of the Department of Pali and Languages

Shan State Buddhist University
Phaya Phyu, Taunggyi, Myanmar 140101
(+95) 09428757648

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Philipp Maas <philipp.a.maas@gmail.com>
To: Indology List <indology@list.indology.info>
Cc: 
Bcc: 
Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2019 11:13:39 +0200
Subject: [INDOLOGY] Unfounded accusations of Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

Dear Audrey,

In your latest message to the Indology mailing list you stile yourself as a victim of sexism experienced in recent times during your work on the Indology committee. Moreover, you pretend to courageously blow the whistle against the explicit advice of your colleagues who want to keep you silent probably in order to save their reputation.

 

In this situation, it may be of interest to the larger community of colleagues that as a fellow committee member I did not witness a single instance in which, contrary to your claim, you “met with blanket denials, belittling of … [your] concerns, declarations that discussing sexism is not a substantive issue, accusations of being a troublemaker, and flat out refusals to discuss gender issues.“ On the contrary, all committee members, irrespective of their ethnicity and sex, always take your concerns seriously and devote as much time to their discussion as possible under the time constrains we all have to face in our daily work. Of course, we there is disagreed. But disagreement is not necessarily an indication of sexism. It may also occur on the (lack of) merit of arguments.

 

Your move to go public with unfounded accusations in order to strengthen you position in the committee is something for which I have very little understanding. It is utterly unfair to your colleagues who spend a lot of time and energy to keep this list running to the best of their abilities. I can’t believe that you are not aware of this.

 

Best,

 

Philipp

__________________________

Dr. Philipp A. Maas

Research Associate
Institut für Indologie und Zentralasienwissenschaften

Universität Leipzig

___________________________

https://spp1448.academia.edu/PhilippMaas

Am Di., 2. Apr. 2019 um 10:21 Uhr schrieb Jonathan Silk via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info>:

Dear Dr Truschke

I am sure that there are many members of this list who are concerned. But I confess that with the (lack of) information you provide, it is impossible for me either to understand what is actually going on, or what you suggest be done to correct the situation.

I do not mean this in any way to be dismissive; it is a request for further information, and a proposed way forward.

J Silk

On Tue, Apr 2, 2019 at 9:56 AM Audrey Truschke via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I am writing to call your attention to the entrenched, worsening sexism I have been experiencing on the INDOLOGY governing committee over the past year or so (I have served on the committee for six years). Other committee members have warned me not to publicly discuss the bullying and abuse that I have faced from them in private. I break my silence and go against their explicit instructions here.

I have repeatedly faced sexism within the INDOLOGY governing committee, ranging from patronizing comments to silencing of discussions about bias to overtly different standards applied to male and female members of the committee and list. I have tried many times to raise these issues internally among the committee and privately with specific individuals. I have been met with blanket denials, belittling of my concerns, declarations that discussing sexism is not a substantive issue, accusations of being a troublemaker, and flat out refusals to discuss gender issues. Indology as a discipline has deep-seated issues with male privilege, discrimination against female scholars, and even outright misogyny. The issues within INDOLOGY's male-dominated governing committee are arguably a reflection of this larger set of problems that systematically drives women out of the discipline. If Indology or INDOLOGY are going to survive in any worthwhile form, we must face our ongoing issues of sexism and bias. I have made numerous suggestions to the INDOLOGY governing committee in this regard, including striving for gender parity on the committee by adding more female members, conducting committee business more openly as a check on bullying, and undergoing bias training. I hope the committee follows up on these suggestions. But, to date, I have seen only a desire to circle the wagons and deny bias, rather than any serious attempt to make the committee or the list a more equitable place.

Last week, following another case where I documented and called out a committee member for acting with bias, that committee member wrote that if he were in my position, he would consider resigning from the committee. In other words, if I find members of the INDOLOGY committee discriminate against women, then I should bow out. I find that suggestion highly inappropriate, and I do not acquiesce to it here. But I will no longer serve as a punching bag for men who insist I keep quiet.

I expect to face significant pushback and recriminations for shedding light on the dark underbelly of the INDOLOGY governing committee. But, unlike many of my fellow committee members, I think that this is an issue for the list at large. Many of us, myself included, find scholarly value in this listserv. But knowledge exists within power structures, and I find that I can no longer stomach what I have to overlook in order to quietly run this forum. I think it is time for us to talk about the key issues of bias and sexism facing our discipline that make women unwelcome at every turn, including in running this listserv.

All the best,

Audrey

Audrey Truschke

Assistant Professor

Department of History
Rutgers University-Newark

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

--

J. Silk
Leiden University

Leiden University Institute for Area Studies, LIAS

Matthias de Vrieshof 3, Room 0.05b

2311 BZ Leiden

The Netherlands

copies of my publications may be found at

https://leidenuniv.academia.edu/JASilk

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jon Skarpeid <jon.skarpeid@uis.no>
To: "Indology List (indology@list.indology.info)" <indology@list.indology.info>
Cc: 
Bcc: 
Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2019 09:28:29 +0000
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

«A thousand things that can be improved» is the argument of relativization. Any wishes for change can be met with relativization, but it’s a poor argument.

 

And dear Aleix, what’s the problem with “Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female applicants”? Perhaps one day we will need to change “female” with “male”. Who knows?

 

Best,

Jon

 

Fra: INDOLOGY <indology-bounces@list.indology.info> På vegne av Aleix Ruiz Falqués via INDOLOGY
Sendt: tirsdag 2. april 2019 11:11
Til: Audrey Truschke <audrey.truschke@gmail.com>
Kopi: Indology List <indology@list.indology.info>
Emne: Re: [INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

 

Dear Audrey,

 

I am sure that there are a thousand things that can be improved. I think I know how you feel. Please see the following clause in one of the jobs I applied for, in Vienna, realted to Indology:

 

The University pursues a non-discriminatory employment policy and values equal opportunities, as well as diversity (http://diversity.univie.ac.at/). The University lays special emphasis on increasing the number of women in senior and in academic positions. Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female applicants. 

 

So much for non-discrimination.

 

Best wishes,

Aleix

 

 

On Tue, 2 Apr 2019 at 14:25, Audrey Truschke via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I am writing to call your attention to the entrenched, worsening sexism I have been experiencing on the INDOLOGY governing committee over the past year or so (I have served on the committee for six years). Other committee members have warned me not to publicly discuss the bullying and abuse that I have faced from them in private. I break my silence and go against their explicit instructions here.

I have repeatedly faced sexism within the INDOLOGY governing committee, ranging from patronizing comments to silencing of discussions about bias to overtly different standards applied to male and female members of the committee and list. I have tried many times to raise these issues internally among the committee and privately with specific individuals. I have been met with blanket denials, belittling of my concerns, declarations that discussing sexism is not a substantive issue, accusations of being a troublemaker, and flat out refusals to discuss gender issues. Indology as a discipline has deep-seated issues with male privilege, discrimination against female scholars, and even outright misogyny. The issues within INDOLOGY's male-dominated governing committee are arguably a reflection of this larger set of problems that systematically drives women out of the discipline. If Indology or INDOLOGY are going to survive in any worthwhile form, we must face our ongoing issues of sexism and bias. I have made numerous suggestions to the INDOLOGY governing committee in this regard, including striving for gender parity on the committee by adding more female members, conducting committee business more openly as a check on bullying, and undergoing bias training. I hope the committee follows up on these suggestions. But, to date, I have seen only a desire to circle the wagons and deny bias, rather than any serious attempt to make the committee or the list a more equitable place.

Last week, following another case where I documented and called out a committee member for acting with bias, that committee member wrote that if he were in my position, he would consider resigning from the committee. In other words, if I find members of the INDOLOGY committee discriminate against women, then I should bow out. I find that suggestion highly inappropriate, and I do not acquiesce to it here. But I will no longer serve as a punching bag for men who insist I keep quiet.

 

I expect to face significant pushback and recriminations for shedding light on the dark underbelly of the INDOLOGY governing committee. But, unlike many of my fellow committee members, I think that this is an issue for the list at large. Many of us, myself included, find scholarly value in this listserv. But knowledge exists within power structures, and I find that I can no longer stomach what I have to overlook in order to quietly run this forum. I think it is time for us to talk about the key issues of bias and sexism facing our discipline that make women unwelcome at every turn, including in running this listserv.

 

All the best,

Audrey

 

Audrey Truschke

Assistant Professor

Department of History
Rutgers University-Newark

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

 

--

Aleix Ruiz-Falqués

Pali Lecturer

Head of the Department of Pali and Languages

Shan State Buddhist University
Phaya Phyu, Taunggyi, Myanmar 140101
(+95) 09428757648

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: KORN Agnes <Agnes.KORN@cnrs.fr>
To: "indology@list.indology.info" <indology@list.indology.info>
Cc: 
Bcc: 
Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2019 09:48:50 +0000
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

Dear colleague,

 

The clause you cite automatically appears in any job advertisement in Austria and Germany in the public sector. It is a legal requirement and has nothing to do with the university or department in question. Such clauses were installed at some point because of (among other things) the appallingly low number of female professors (some 14% or so at the time the legislation was introduced).

 

This number has slightly risen over the last decade, but so far as I can see this is chiefly due to more women available with the necessary qualifications; i.e. in percentage to women with those qualifications, the recruitments of women have not risen.

 

Having been a member of the women’s council at the university of Frankfurt for over 10 years (where, for instance, the faculty of medicine was composed of 80 professors, of which no women (0%)), I can assure you that discrimination continues in spite of all these clauses.

 

Best,

Agnes

 

 

From: INDOLOGY [mailto:indology-bounces@list.indology.info] On Behalf Of Aleix Ruiz Falqués via INDOLOGY
Sent: Tuesday, April 02, 2019 11:11 AM
To: Audrey Truschke
Cc: Indology List
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

 

Dear Audrey,

 

I am sure that there are a thousand things that can be improved. I think I know how you feel. Please see the following clause in one of the jobs I applied for, in Vienna, realted to Indology:

 

The University pursues a non-discriminatory employment policy and values equal opportunities, as well as diversity (http://diversity.univie.ac.at/). The University lays special emphasis on increasing the number of women in senior and in academic positions. Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female applicants. 

 

So much for non-discrimination.

 

Best wishes,

Aleix

 

 

On Tue, 2 Apr 2019 at 14:25, Audrey Truschke via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I am writing to call your attention to the entrenched, worsening sexism I have been experiencing on the INDOLOGY governing committee over the past year or so (I have served on the committee for six years). Other committee members have warned me not to publicly discuss the bullying and abuse that I have faced from them in private. I break my silence and go against their explicit instructions here.

I have repeatedly faced sexism within the INDOLOGY governing committee, ranging from patronizing comments to silencing of discussions about bias to overtly different standards applied to male and female members of the committee and list. I have tried many times to raise these issues internally among the committee and privately with specific individuals. I have been met with blanket denials, belittling of my concerns, declarations that discussing sexism is not a substantive issue, accusations of being a troublemaker, and flat out refusals to discuss gender issues. Indology as a discipline has deep-seated issues with male privilege, discrimination against female scholars, and even outright misogyny. The issues within INDOLOGY's male-dominated governing committee are arguably a reflection of this larger set of problems that systematically drives women out of the discipline. If Indology or INDOLOGY are going to survive in any worthwhile form, we must face our ongoing issues of sexism and bias. I have made numerous suggestions to the INDOLOGY governing committee in this regard, including striving for gender parity on the committee by adding more female members, conducting committee business more openly as a check on bullying, and undergoing bias training. I hope the committee follows up on these suggestions. But, to date, I have seen only a desire to circle the wagons and deny bias, rather than any serious attempt to make the committee or the list a more equitable place.

Last week, following another case where I documented and called out a committee member for acting with bias, that committee member wrote that if he were in my position, he would consider resigning from the committee. In other words, if I find members of the INDOLOGY committee discriminate against women, then I should bow out. I find that suggestion highly inappropriate, and I do not acquiesce to it here. But I will no longer serve as a punching bag for men who insist I keep quiet.

 

I expect to face significant pushback and recriminations for shedding light on the dark underbelly of the INDOLOGY governing committee. But, unlike many of my fellow committee members, I think that this is an issue for the list at large. Many of us, myself included, find scholarly value in this listserv. But knowledge exists within power structures, and I find that I can no longer stomach what I have to overlook in order to quietly run this forum. I think it is time for us to talk about the key issues of bias and sexism facing our discipline that make women unwelcome at every turn, including in running this listserv.

 

All the best,

Audrey

 

Audrey Truschke

Assistant Professor

Department of History
Rutgers University-Newark

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

 

--

Aleix Ruiz-Falqués

Pali Lecturer

Head of the Department of Pali and Languages

Shan State Buddhist University
Phaya Phyu, Taunggyi, Myanmar 140101
(+95) 09428757648

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Aleix Ruiz Falqués" <arfalques@cantab.net>
To: Jon Skarpeid <jon.skarpeid@uis.no>
Cc: "Indology List (indology@list.indology.info)" <indology@list.indology.info>
Bcc: 
Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2019 16:59:55 +0630
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

Dear Jon and Agnes,

The clause you cite automatically appears in any job advertisement in Austria and Germany in the public sector. It is a legal requirement and has nothing to do with the university or department in question. Such clauses were installed at some point because of (among other things) the appallingly low number of female professors (some 14% or so at the time the legislation was introduced).

Thank you for the comment. I apologise, I didn't know that universities to not follow the rules. I thought that this clause was actually taken into account. The statement is discriminatory against men, nonetheless, and as an applicant, I wondered if it was really worth trying. Again, that could be the whole purpose of the clause. I don´t know. I just felt it was unfair to men, not to men as a social class, but to particular individuals who may have nothing to do with structural sexism. If you think that´s not the case, then we disagree and that is fine.

what’s the problem with “Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female applicants”?

The problem is not in this line, but in the previous one, where it says non-discriminatory employment policy. Will you agree that when preference is given on the basis of gender, this is a discriminatory statement? Perhaps I got it wrong.

Jon, when I say that a thousand things can be changed I mean they should be, and I think the debate is positive, including the debate on discriminatory clauses. I did not mean anything against Audrey, whom I personally know I respect very much, as a friend and as a scholar. Apologies if anyone felt offended. I am looking forward to what Audrey has to say.

Best wishes,

Aleix

On Tue, 2 Apr 2019 at 15:58, Jon Skarpeid via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

«A thousand things that can be improved» is the argument of relativization. Any wishes for change can be met with relativization, but it’s a poor argument.

 

And dear Aleix, what’s the problem with “Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female applicants”? Perhaps one day we will need to change “female” with “male”. Who knows?

 

Best,

Jon

 

Fra: INDOLOGY <indology-bounces@list.indology.info> På vegne av Aleix Ruiz Falqués via INDOLOGY
Sendt: tirsdag 2. april 2019 11:11
Til: Audrey Truschke <audrey.truschke@gmail.com>
Kopi: Indology List <indology@list.indology.info>
Emne: Re: [INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

 

Dear Audrey,

 

I am sure that there are a thousand things that can be improved. I think I know how you feel. Please see the following clause in one of the jobs I applied for, in Vienna, realted to Indology:

 

The University pursues a non-discriminatory employment policy and values equal opportunities, as well as diversity (http://diversity.univie.ac.at/). The University lays special emphasis on increasing the number of women in senior and in academic positions. Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female applicants. 

 

So much for non-discrimination.

 

Best wishes,

Aleix

 

 

On Tue, 2 Apr 2019 at 14:25, Audrey Truschke via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I am writing to call your attention to the entrenched, worsening sexism I have been experiencing on the INDOLOGY governing committee over the past year or so (I have served on the committee for six years). Other committee members have warned me not to publicly discuss the bullying and abuse that I have faced from them in private. I break my silence and go against their explicit instructions here.

I have repeatedly faced sexism within the INDOLOGY governing committee, ranging from patronizing comments to silencing of discussions about bias to overtly different standards applied to male and female members of the committee and list. I have tried many times to raise these issues internally among the committee and privately with specific individuals. I have been met with blanket denials, belittling of my concerns, declarations that discussing sexism is not a substantive issue, accusations of being a troublemaker, and flat out refusals to discuss gender issues. Indology as a discipline has deep-seated issues with male privilege, discrimination against female scholars, and even outright misogyny. The issues within INDOLOGY's male-dominated governing committee are arguably a reflection of this larger set of problems that systematically drives women out of the discipline. If Indology or INDOLOGY are going to survive in any worthwhile form, we must face our ongoing issues of sexism and bias. I have made numerous suggestions to the INDOLOGY governing committee in this regard, including striving for gender parity on the committee by adding more female members, conducting committee business more openly as a check on bullying, and undergoing bias training. I hope the committee follows up on these suggestions. But, to date, I have seen only a desire to circle the wagons and deny bias, rather than any serious attempt to make the committee or the list a more equitable place.

Last week, following another case where I documented and called out a committee member for acting with bias, that committee member wrote that if he were in my position, he would consider resigning from the committee. In other words, if I find members of the INDOLOGY committee discriminate against women, then I should bow out. I find that suggestion highly inappropriate, and I do not acquiesce to it here. But I will no longer serve as a punching bag for men who insist I keep quiet.

 

I expect to face significant pushback and recriminations for shedding light on the dark underbelly of the INDOLOGY governing committee. But, unlike many of my fellow committee members, I think that this is an issue for the list at large. Many of us, myself included, find scholarly value in this listserv. But knowledge exists within power structures, and I find that I can no longer stomach what I have to overlook in order to quietly run this forum. I think it is time for us to talk about the key issues of bias and sexism facing our discipline that make women unwelcome at every turn, including in running this listserv.

 

All the best,

Audrey

 

Audrey Truschke

Assistant Professor

Department of History
Rutgers University-Newark

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

 

--

Aleix Ruiz-Falqués

Pali Lecturer

Head of the Department of Pali and Languages

Shan State Buddhist University
Phaya Phyu, Taunggyi, Myanmar 140101
(+95) 09428757648

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

--

Aleix Ruiz-Falqués

Pali Lecturer

Head of the Department of Pali and Languages

Shan State Buddhist University
Phaya Phyu, Taunggyi, Myanmar 140101
(+95) 09428757648

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jonathan Silk <kauzeya@gmail.com>
To: "Aleix Ruiz Falqués" <arfalques@cantab.net>
Cc: Jon Skarpeid <jon.skarpeid@uis.no>, "Indology List (indology@list.indology.info)" <indology@list.indology.info>
Bcc: 
Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2019 13:03:17 +0200
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

Dear All

First, I want to clarify that I think these discussions are important--in the context of Indology.

However, this list is not, in my opinion, the place to debate (etc) institutional forms of discrimination, fundamentally important as they no doubt are. There are so many things which so many of us are passionate about, but this list is about Indian Studies, and while that surely includes the conduct of the management of the list itself, the recently discussed Sanskrit conference, and matters of that ilk, it does not include, I would maintain,  German or Austrian higher education as a whole, for example. So my plea to all of us is to focus on the topics relevant to this list here, and find other fora for other conversations.

Thank you for listening,

Joanthan

On Tue, Apr 2, 2019 at 12:30 PM Aleix Ruiz Falqués via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

Dear Jon and Agnes,

The clause you cite automatically appears in any job advertisement in Austria and Germany in the public sector. It is a legal requirement and has nothing to do with the university or department in question. Such clauses were installed at some point because of (among other things) the appallingly low number of female professors (some 14% or so at the time the legislation was introduced).

Thank you for the comment. I apologise, I didn't know that universities to not follow the rules. I thought that this clause was actually taken into account. The statement is discriminatory against men, nonetheless, and as an applicant, I wondered if it was really worth trying. Again, that could be the whole purpose of the clause. I don´t know. I just felt it was unfair to men, not to men as a social class, but to particular individuals who may have nothing to do with structural sexism. If you think that´s not the case, then we disagree and that is fine.

what’s the problem with “Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female applicants”?

The problem is not in this line, but in the previous one, where it says non-discriminatory employment policy. Will you agree that when preference is given on the basis of gender, this is a discriminatory statement? Perhaps I got it wrong.

Jon, when I say that a thousand things can be changed I mean they should be, and I think the debate is positive, including the debate on discriminatory clauses. I did not mean anything against Audrey, whom I personally know I respect very much, as a friend and as a scholar. Apologies if anyone felt offended. I am looking forward to what Audrey has to say.

Best wishes,

Aleix

On Tue, 2 Apr 2019 at 15:58, Jon Skarpeid via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

«A thousand things that can be improved» is the argument of relativization. Any wishes for change can be met with relativization, but it’s a poor argument.

 

And dear Aleix, what’s the problem with “Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female applicants”? Perhaps one day we will need to change “female” with “male”. Who knows?

 

Best,

Jon

 

Fra: INDOLOGY <indology-bounces@list.indology.info> På vegne av Aleix Ruiz Falqués via INDOLOGY
Sendt: tirsdag 2. april 2019 11:11
Til: Audrey Truschke <audrey.truschke@gmail.com>
Kopi: Indology List <indology@list.indology.info>
Emne: Re: [INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

 

Dear Audrey,

 

I am sure that there are a thousand things that can be improved. I think I know how you feel. Please see the following clause in one of the jobs I applied for, in Vienna, realted to Indology:

 

The University pursues a non-discriminatory employment policy and values equal opportunities, as well as diversity (http://diversity.univie.ac.at/). The University lays special emphasis on increasing the number of women in senior and in academic positions. Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female applicants. 

 

So much for non-discrimination.

 

Best wishes,

Aleix

 

 

On Tue, 2 Apr 2019 at 14:25, Audrey Truschke via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I am writing to call your attention to the entrenched, worsening sexism I have been experiencing on the INDOLOGY governing committee over the past year or so (I have served on the committee for six years). Other committee members have warned me not to publicly discuss the bullying and abuse that I have faced from them in private. I break my silence and go against their explicit instructions here.

I have repeatedly faced sexism within the INDOLOGY governing committee, ranging from patronizing comments to silencing of discussions about bias to overtly different standards applied to male and female members of the committee and list. I have tried many times to raise these issues internally among the committee and privately with specific individuals. I have been met with blanket denials, belittling of my concerns, declarations that discussing sexism is not a substantive issue, accusations of being a troublemaker, and flat out refusals to discuss gender issues. Indology as a discipline has deep-seated issues with male privilege, discrimination against female scholars, and even outright misogyny. The issues within INDOLOGY's male-dominated governing committee are arguably a reflection of this larger set of problems that systematically drives women out of the discipline. If Indology or INDOLOGY are going to survive in any worthwhile form, we must face our ongoing issues of sexism and bias. I have made numerous suggestions to the INDOLOGY governing committee in this regard, including striving for gender parity on the committee by adding more female members, conducting committee business more openly as a check on bullying, and undergoing bias training. I hope the committee follows up on these suggestions. But, to date, I have seen only a desire to circle the wagons and deny bias, rather than any serious attempt to make the committee or the list a more equitable place.

Last week, following another case where I documented and called out a committee member for acting with bias, that committee member wrote that if he were in my position, he would consider resigning from the committee. In other words, if I find members of the INDOLOGY committee discriminate against women, then I should bow out. I find that suggestion highly inappropriate, and I do not acquiesce to it here. But I will no longer serve as a punching bag for men who insist I keep quiet.

 

I expect to face significant pushback and recriminations for shedding light on the dark underbelly of the INDOLOGY governing committee. But, unlike many of my fellow committee members, I think that this is an issue for the list at large. Many of us, myself included, find scholarly value in this listserv. But knowledge exists within power structures, and I find that I can no longer stomach what I have to overlook in order to quietly run this forum. I think it is time for us to talk about the key issues of bias and sexism facing our discipline that make women unwelcome at every turn, including in running this listserv.

 

All the best,

Audrey

 

Audrey Truschke

Assistant Professor

Department of History
Rutgers University-Newark

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

 

--

Aleix Ruiz-Falqués

Pali Lecturer

Head of the Department of Pali and Languages

Shan State Buddhist University
Phaya Phyu, Taunggyi, Myanmar 140101
(+95) 09428757648

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

--

Aleix Ruiz-Falqués

Pali Lecturer

Head of the Department of Pali and Languages

Shan State Buddhist University
Phaya Phyu, Taunggyi, Myanmar 140101
(+95) 09428757648

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

--

J. Silk
Leiden University

Leiden University Institute for Area Studies, LIAS

Matthias de Vrieshof 3, Room 0.05b

2311 BZ Leiden

The Netherlands

copies of my publications may be found at

https://leidenuniv.academia.edu/JASilk

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jon Skarpeid <jon.skarpeid@uis.no>
To: "Indology List (indology@list.indology.info)" <indology@list.indology.info>
Cc: 
Bcc: 
Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2019 11:17:33 +0000
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

“Given equal qualifications”, I do not find it a discriminatory that institutions prefer gender, minority, or whatever. All branches of public life should (somehow) reflect the population. “Equal qualifications” is a soft tool.

 

But I agree with Jonathan, we should leave German or Austrian higher education. However, if sexism is a reality at Indology, we can’t simply dismiss the debate by referring to the “Sanskrit conference, and matters of that ilk”.

 

Best,

Jon    

 

 

Fra: Jonathan Silk <kauzeya@gmail.com>
Sendt: tirsdag 2. april 2019 13:03
Til: Aleix Ruiz Falqués <arfalques@cantab.net>
Kopi: Jon Skarpeid <jon.skarpeid@uis.no>; Indology List (indology@list.indology.info) <indology@list.indology.info>
Emne: Re: [INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

 

Dear All

First, I want to clarify that I think these discussions are important--in the context of Indology.

However, this list is not, in my opinion, the place to debate (etc) institutional forms of discrimination, fundamentally important as they no doubt are. There are so many things which so many of us are passionate about, but this list is about Indian Studies, and while that surely includes the conduct of the management of the list itself, the recently discussed Sanskrit conference, and matters of that ilk, it does not include, I would maintain,  German or Austrian higher education as a whole, for example. So my plea to all of us is to focus on the topics relevant to this list here, and find other fora for other conversations.

Thank you for listening,

Joanthan

 

On Tue, Apr 2, 2019 at 12:30 PM Aleix Ruiz Falqués via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

Dear Jon and Agnes,

 

The clause you cite automatically appears in any job advertisement in Austria and Germany in the public sector. It is a legal requirement and has nothing to do with the university or department in question. Such clauses were installed at some point because of (among other things) the appallingly low number of female professors (some 14% or so at the time the legislation was introduced).

 

Thank you for the comment. I apologise, I didn't know that universities to not follow the rules. I thought that this clause was actually taken into account. The statement is discriminatory against men, nonetheless, and as an applicant, I wondered if it was really worth trying. Again, that could be the whole purpose of the clause. I don´t know. I just felt it was unfair to men, not to men as a social class, but to particular individuals who may have nothing to do with structural sexism. If you think that´s not the case, then we disagree and that is fine.

 

what’s the problem with “Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female applicants”?

 

The problem is not in this line, but in the previous one, where it says non-discriminatory employment policy. Will you agree that when preference is given on the basis of gender, this is a discriminatory statement? Perhaps I got it wrong.

 

Jon, when I say that a thousand things can be changed I mean they should be, and I think the debate is positive, including the debate on discriminatory clauses. I did not mean anything against Audrey, whom I personally know I respect very much, as a friend and as a scholar. Apologies if anyone felt offended. I am looking forward to what Audrey has to say.

 

Best wishes,

Aleix

 

 

 

 

 

On Tue, 2 Apr 2019 at 15:58, Jon Skarpeid via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

«A thousand things that can be improved» is the argument of relativization. Any wishes for change can be met with relativization, but it’s a poor argument.

 

And dear Aleix, what’s the problem with “Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female applicants”? Perhaps one day we will need to change “female” with “male”. Who knows?

 

Best,

Jon

 

Fra: INDOLOGY <indology-bounces@list.indology.info> På vegne av Aleix Ruiz Falqués via INDOLOGY
Sendt: tirsdag 2. april 2019 11:11
Til: Audrey Truschke <audrey.truschke@gmail.com>
Kopi: Indology List <indology@list.indology.info>
Emne: Re: [INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

 

Dear Audrey,

 

I am sure that there are a thousand things that can be improved. I think I know how you feel. Please see the following clause in one of the jobs I applied for, in Vienna, realted to Indology:

 

The University pursues a non-discriminatory employment policy and values equal opportunities, as well as diversity (http://diversity.univie.ac.at/). The University lays special emphasis on increasing the number of women in senior and in academic positions. Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female applicants. 

 

So much for non-discrimination.

 

Best wishes,

Aleix

 

 

On Tue, 2 Apr 2019 at 14:25, Audrey Truschke via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I am writing to call your attention to the entrenched, worsening sexism I have been experiencing on the INDOLOGY governing committee over the past year or so (I have served on the committee for six years). Other committee members have warned me not to publicly discuss the bullying and abuse that I have faced from them in private. I break my silence and go against their explicit instructions here.

I have repeatedly faced sexism within the INDOLOGY governing committee, ranging from patronizing comments to silencing of discussions about bias to overtly different standards applied to male and female members of the committee and list. I have tried many times to raise these issues internally among the committee and privately with specific individuals. I have been met with blanket denials, belittling of my concerns, declarations that discussing sexism is not a substantive issue, accusations of being a troublemaker, and flat out refusals to discuss gender issues. Indology as a discipline has deep-seated issues with male privilege, discrimination against female scholars, and even outright misogyny. The issues within INDOLOGY's male-dominated governing committee are arguably a reflection of this larger set of problems that systematically drives women out of the discipline. If Indology or INDOLOGY are going to survive in any worthwhile form, we must face our ongoing issues of sexism and bias. I have made numerous suggestions to the INDOLOGY governing committee in this regard, including striving for gender parity on the committee by adding more female members, conducting committee business more openly as a check on bullying, and undergoing bias training. I hope the committee follows up on these suggestions. But, to date, I have seen only a desire to circle the wagons and deny bias, rather than any serious attempt to make the committee or the list a more equitable place.

Last week, following another case where I documented and called out a committee member for acting with bias, that committee member wrote that if he were in my position, he would consider resigning from the committee. In other words, if I find members of the INDOLOGY committee discriminate against women, then I should bow out. I find that suggestion highly inappropriate, and I do not acquiesce to it here. But I will no longer serve as a punching bag for men who insist I keep quiet.

 

I expect to face significant pushback and recriminations for shedding light on the dark underbelly of the INDOLOGY governing committee. But, unlike many of my fellow committee members, I think that this is an issue for the list at large. Many of us, myself included, find scholarly value in this listserv. But knowledge exists within power structures, and I find that I can no longer stomach what I have to overlook in order to quietly run this forum. I think it is time for us to talk about the key issues of bias and sexism facing our discipline that make women unwelcome at every turn, including in running this listserv.

 

All the best,

Audrey

 

Audrey Truschke

Assistant Professor

Department of History
Rutgers University-Newark

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

 

--

Aleix Ruiz-Falqués

Pali Lecturer

Head of the Department of Pali and Languages

Shan State Buddhist University
Phaya Phyu, Taunggyi, Myanmar 140101
(+95) 09428757648

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

 

--

Aleix Ruiz-Falqués

Pali Lecturer

Head of the Department of Pali and Languages

Shan State Buddhist University
Phaya Phyu, Taunggyi, Myanmar 140101
(+95) 09428757648

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

--

J. Silk
Leiden University

Leiden University Institute for Area Studies, LIAS

Matthias de Vrieshof 3, Room 0.05b

2311 BZ Leiden

The Netherlands

 

copies of my publications may be found at

https://leidenuniv.academia.edu/JASilk

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Audrey Truschke <audrey.truschke@gmail.com>
To: 
Cc: "Indology List (indology@list.indology.info)" <indology@list.indology.info>
Bcc: 
Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2019 14:11:06 +0200
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Dr. Silk raises a valid point, which is that I am slightly vague in my account of what has happened. I would encourage everyone to be sensitive to the fact that other committee members have repeatedly told me, often angrily, to not share their emails and to not discuss any of this with the list at large. There are real risks for women who choose to come forward with these sorts of concerns.

That said, I do point to some specific things, such as an attempt to encourage me to resign when I pointed out bias (March 2019; in an e-mail), refusals to talk about possible bias (numerous e-mails; fall 2018), and persistent demands that I keep silent about what I experience as abuse and intimidation (repeated over the past year or so). To add another specific case, last week a committee member wrote to Dr. Paturi and chastised him for writing 'thank you' to the entire list regarding the post I sent around sharing Anand Venkatkrishnan's excellent blog post on female Sanskritists and sexism. Indology members say thank you to the list all the time without complaint, and so this was a targeted silencing of a discussion about discrimination against women in our profession (and it worked). I think this is a fair amount of precision and several discrete instances. I do not know whether the intent was sexist or biased in any specific case, but the effects were.

So far as how to move forward, I recommend a few concrete steps. All are aimed to redirecting the committee's energy toward making both the committee and the list a more equitable, welcoming place. (1) I want gender parity, or at least approaching gender parity, on the INDOLOGY governing committee by adding female members. I think everyone on this list should value and want gender parity. (2) I want the committee to take further steps to address bias issues, whether that is bias training, a system for adjudicating complaints, shaking up committee membership, or something else. Whatever we decide, I would like those steps announced to the list at large. (3) Personally, I think that the individual who suggested that I resign after pointing out bias should instead, himself, consider stepping down. But I will not press this particular point.

Another thing that I wish to achieve here is awareness and space for conversation. Indology as a discipline may be focused on classical India, but we exist in the modern world, and modern issues of bias are a legitimate topic for scholars to discuss on INDOLOGY (preferably without declarations by list members that a given discussion of bias and discrimination is inappropriate on INDOLOGY). I would like issues of bias and discrimination treated seriously on this list and on the governing committee going forward.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

All the Best,

Audrey Truschke

Assistant Professor

Department of History
Rutgers University-Newark

Audrey Truschke

Assistant Professor

Department of History
Rutgers University-Newark

On Tue, Apr 2, 2019 at 1:18 PM Jon Skarpeid via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

“Given equal qualifications”, I do not find it a discriminatory that institutions prefer gender, minority, or whatever. All branches of public life should (somehow) reflect the population. “Equal qualifications” is a soft tool.

 

But I agree with Jonathan, we should leave German or Austrian higher education. However, if sexism is a reality at Indology, we can’t simply dismiss the debate by referring to the “Sanskrit conference, and matters of that ilk”.

 

Best,

Jon    

 

 

Fra: Jonathan Silk <kauzeya@gmail.com>
Sendt: tirsdag 2. april 2019 13:03
Til: Aleix Ruiz Falqués <arfalques@cantab.net>
Kopi: Jon Skarpeid <jon.skarpeid@uis.no>; Indology List (indology@list.indology.info) <indology@list.indology.info>
Emne: Re: [INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

 

Dear All

First, I want to clarify that I think these discussions are important--in the context of Indology.

However, this list is not, in my opinion, the place to debate (etc) institutional forms of discrimination, fundamentally important as they no doubt are. There are so many things which so many of us are passionate about, but this list is about Indian Studies, and while that surely includes the conduct of the management of the list itself, the recently discussed Sanskrit conference, and matters of that ilk, it does not include, I would maintain,  German or Austrian higher education as a whole, for example. So my plea to all of us is to focus on the topics relevant to this list here, and find other fora for other conversations.

Thank you for listening,

Joanthan

 

On Tue, Apr 2, 2019 at 12:30 PM Aleix Ruiz Falqués via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

Dear Jon and Agnes,

 

The clause you cite automatically appears in any job advertisement in Austria and Germany in the public sector. It is a legal requirement and has nothing to do with the university or department in question. Such clauses were installed at some point because of (among other things) the appallingly low number of female professors (some 14% or so at the time the legislation was introduced).

 

Thank you for the comment. I apologise, I didn't know that universities to not follow the rules. I thought that this clause was actually taken into account. The statement is discriminatory against men, nonetheless, and as an applicant, I wondered if it was really worth trying. Again, that could be the whole purpose of the clause. I don´t know. I just felt it was unfair to men, not to men as a social class, but to particular individuals who may have nothing to do with structural sexism. If you think that´s not the case, then we disagree and that is fine.

 

what’s the problem with “Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female applicants”?

 

The problem is not in this line, but in the previous one, where it says non-discriminatory employment policy. Will you agree that when preference is given on the basis of gender, this is a discriminatory statement? Perhaps I got it wrong.

 

Jon, when I say that a thousand things can be changed I mean they should be, and I think the debate is positive, including the debate on discriminatory clauses. I did not mean anything against Audrey, whom I personally know I respect very much, as a friend and as a scholar. Apologies if anyone felt offended. I am looking forward to what Audrey has to say.

 

Best wishes,

Aleix

 

 

 

 

 

On Tue, 2 Apr 2019 at 15:58, Jon Skarpeid via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

«A thousand things that can be improved» is the argument of relativization. Any wishes for change can be met with relativization, but it’s a poor argument.

 

And dear Aleix, what’s the problem with “Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female applicants”? Perhaps one day we will need to change “female” with “male”. Who knows?

 

Best,

Jon

 

Fra: INDOLOGY <indology-bounces@list.indology.info> På vegne av Aleix Ruiz Falqués via INDOLOGY
Sendt: tirsdag 2. april 2019 11:11
Til: Audrey Truschke <audrey.truschke@gmail.com>
Kopi: Indology List <indology@list.indology.info>
Emne: Re: [INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

 

Dear Audrey,

 

I am sure that there are a thousand things that can be improved. I think I know how you feel. Please see the following clause in one of the jobs I applied for, in Vienna, realted to Indology:

 

The University pursues a non-discriminatory employment policy and values equal opportunities, as well as diversity (http://diversity.univie.ac.at/). The University lays special emphasis on increasing the number of women in senior and in academic positions. Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female applicants. 

 

So much for non-discrimination.

 

Best wishes,

Aleix

 

 

On Tue, 2 Apr 2019 at 14:25, Audrey Truschke via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I am writing to call your attention to the entrenched, worsening sexism I have been experiencing on the INDOLOGY governing committee over the past year or so (I have served on the committee for six years). Other committee members have warned me not to publicly discuss the bullying and abuse that I have faced from them in private. I break my silence and go against their explicit instructions here.

I have repeatedly faced sexism within the INDOLOGY governing committee, ranging from patronizing comments to silencing of discussions about bias to overtly different standards applied to male and female members of the committee and list. I have tried many times to raise these issues internally among the committee and privately with specific individuals. I have been met with blanket denials, belittling of my concerns, declarations that discussing sexism is not a substantive issue, accusations of being a troublemaker, and flat out refusals to discuss gender issues. Indology as a discipline has deep-seated issues with male privilege, discrimination against female scholars, and even outright misogyny. The issues within INDOLOGY's male-dominated governing committee are arguably a reflection of this larger set of problems that systematically drives women out of the discipline. If Indology or INDOLOGY are going to survive in any worthwhile form, we must face our ongoing issues of sexism and bias. I have made numerous suggestions to the INDOLOGY governing committee in this regard, including striving for gender parity on the committee by adding more female members, conducting committee business more openly as a check on bullying, and undergoing bias training. I hope the committee follows up on these suggestions. But, to date, I have seen only a desire to circle the wagons and deny bias, rather than any serious attempt to make the committee or the list a more equitable place.

Last week, following another case where I documented and called out a committee member for acting with bias, that committee member wrote that if he were in my position, he would consider resigning from the committee. In other words, if I find members of the INDOLOGY committee discriminate against women, then I should bow out. I find that suggestion highly inappropriate, and I do not acquiesce to it here. But I will no longer serve as a punching bag for men who insist I keep quiet.

 

I expect to face significant pushback and recriminations for shedding light on the dark underbelly of the INDOLOGY governing committee. But, unlike many of my fellow committee members, I think that this is an issue for the list at large. Many of us, myself included, find scholarly value in this listserv. But knowledge exists within power structures, and I find that I can no longer stomach what I have to overlook in order to quietly run this forum. I think it is time for us to talk about the key issues of bias and sexism facing our discipline that make women unwelcome at every turn, including in running this listserv.

 

All the best,

Audrey

 

Audrey Truschke

Assistant Professor

Department of History
Rutgers University-Newark

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

 

--

Aleix Ruiz-Falqués

Pali Lecturer

Head of the Department of Pali and Languages

Shan State Buddhist University
Phaya Phyu, Taunggyi, Myanmar 140101
(+95) 09428757648

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

 

--

Aleix Ruiz-Falqués

Pali Lecturer

Head of the Department of Pali and Languages

Shan State Buddhist University
Phaya Phyu, Taunggyi, Myanmar 140101
(+95) 09428757648

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

--

J. Silk
Leiden University

Leiden University Institute for Area Studies, LIAS

Matthias de Vrieshof 3, Room 0.05b

2311 BZ Leiden

The Netherlands

 

copies of my publications may be found at

https://leidenuniv.academia.edu/JASilk

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Walser, Joseph" <Joseph.Walser@tufts.edu>
To: Jonathan Silk <kauzeya@gmail.com>, "Aleix Ruiz Falqués" <arfalques@cantab.net>
Cc: "Indology List (indology@list.indology.info)" <indology@list.indology.info>
Bcc: 
Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2019 12:36:58 +0000
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

While Jonathan is correct that this is a list about Indian Studies, I do think that it is very much in the interest of the list to address issues of bias and intimidation that Audrey mentioned. Any field of scholarship is an all hands on deck affair. If we want to reach our full potential, then we cannot afford to have some of us intimidated into not sharing work, opinions, etc. because of things like gender bias.

-j

Joseph Walser

Associate Professor

Department of Religion

Tufts University

---

From: INDOLOGY [indology-bounces@list.indology.info] on behalf of Jonathan Silk via INDOLOGY [indology@list.indology.info]
Sent: Tuesday, April 02, 2019 7:03 AM
To: Aleix Ruiz Falqués
Cc: Indology List (indology@list.indology.info)
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

Dear All

First, I want to clarify that I think these discussions are important--in the context of Indology.

However, this list is not, in my opinion, the place to debate (etc) institutional forms of discrimination, fundamentally important as they no doubt are. There are so many things which so many of us are passionate about, but this list is about Indian Studies, and while that surely includes the conduct of the management of the list itself, the recently discussed Sanskrit conference, and matters of that ilk, it does not include, I would maintain,  German or Austrian higher education as a whole, for example. So my plea to all of us is to focus on the topics relevant to this list here, and find other fora for other conversations.

Thank you for listening,

Joanthan

On Tue, Apr 2, 2019 at 12:30 PM Aleix Ruiz Falqués via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

Dear Jon and Agnes,

The clause you cite automatically appears in any job advertisement in Austria and Germany in the public sector. It is a legal requirement and has nothing to do with the university or department in question. Such clauses were installed at some point because of (among other things) the appallingly low number of female professors (some 14% or so at the time the legislation was introduced).

Thank you for the comment. I apologise, I didn't know that universities to not follow the rules. I thought that this clause was actually taken into account. The statement is discriminatory against men, nonetheless, and as an applicant, I wondered if it was really worth trying. Again, that could be the whole purpose of the clause. I don´t know. I just felt it was unfair to men, not to men as a social class, but to particular individuals who may have nothing to do with structural sexism. If you think that´s not the case, then we disagree and that is fine.

what’s the problem with “Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female applicants”?

The problem is not in this line, but in the previous one, where it says non-discriminatory employment policy. Will you agree that when preference is given on the basis of gender, this is a discriminatory statement? Perhaps I got it wrong.

Jon, when I say that a thousand things can be changed I mean they should be, and I think the debate is positive, including the debate on discriminatory clauses. I did not mean anything against Audrey, whom I personally know I respect very much, as a friend and as a scholar. Apologies if anyone felt offended. I am looking forward to what Audrey has to say.

Best wishes,

Aleix

On Tue, 2 Apr 2019 at 15:58, Jon Skarpeid via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

«A thousand things that can be improved» is the argument of relativization. Any wishes for change can be met with relativization, but it’s a poor argument.

 

And dear Aleix, what’s the problem with “Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female applicants”? Perhaps one day we will need to change “female” with “male”. Who knows?

 

Best,

Jon

 

Fra: INDOLOGY <indology-bounces@list.indology.info> På vegne av Aleix Ruiz Falqués via INDOLOGY
Sendt: tirsdag 2. april 2019 11:11
Til: Audrey Truschke <audrey.truschke@gmail.com>
Kopi: Indology List <indology@list.indology.info>
Emne: Re: [INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

 

Dear Audrey,

 

I am sure that there are a thousand things that can be improved. I think I know how you feel. Please see the following clause in one of the jobs I applied for, in Vienna, realted to Indology:

 

The University pursues a non-discriminatory employment policy and values equal opportunities, as well as diversity (http://diversity.univie.ac.at/). The University lays special emphasis on increasing the number of women in senior and in academic positions. Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female applicants. 

 

So much for non-discrimination.

 

Best wishes,

Aleix

 

 

On Tue, 2 Apr 2019 at 14:25, Audrey Truschke via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I am writing to call your attention to the entrenched, worsening sexism I have been experiencing on the INDOLOGY governing committee over the past year or so (I have served on the committee for six years). Other committee members have warned me not to publicly discuss the bullying and abuse that I have faced from them in private. I break my silence and go against their explicit instructions here.

I have repeatedly faced sexism within the INDOLOGY governing committee, ranging from patronizing comments to silencing of discussions about bias to overtly different standards applied to male and female members of the committee and list. I have tried many times to raise these issues internally among the committee and privately with specific individuals. I have been met with blanket denials, belittling of my concerns, declarations that discussing sexism is not a substantive issue, accusations of being a troublemaker, and flat out refusals to discuss gender issues. Indology as a discipline has deep-seated issues with male privilege, discrimination against female scholars, and even outright misogyny. The issues within INDOLOGY's male-dominated governing committee are arguably a reflection of this larger set of problems that systematically drives women out of the discipline. If Indology or INDOLOGY are going to survive in any worthwhile form, we must face our ongoing issues of sexism and bias. I have made numerous suggestions to the INDOLOGY governing committee in this regard, including striving for gender parity on the committee by adding more female members, conducting committee business more openly as a check on bullying, and undergoing bias training. I hope the committee follows up on these suggestions. But, to date, I have seen only a desire to circle the wagons and deny bias, rather than any serious attempt to make the committee or the list a more equitable place.

Last week, following another case where I documented and called out a committee member for acting with bias, that committee member wrote that if he were in my position, he would consider resigning from the committee. In other words, if I find members of the INDOLOGY committee discriminate against women, then I should bow out. I find that suggestion highly inappropriate, and I do not acquiesce to it here. But I will no longer serve as a punching bag for men who insist I keep quiet.

 

I expect to face significant pushback and recriminations for shedding light on the dark underbelly of the INDOLOGY governing committee. But, unlike many of my fellow committee members, I think that this is an issue for the list at large. Many of us, myself included, find scholarly value in this listserv. But knowledge exists within power structures, and I find that I can no longer stomach what I have to overlook in order to quietly run this forum. I think it is time for us to talk about the key issues of bias and sexism facing our discipline that make women unwelcome at every turn, including in running this listserv.

 

All the best,

Audrey

 

Audrey Truschke

Assistant Professor

Department of History
Rutgers University-Newark

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

 

--

Aleix Ruiz-Falqués

Pali Lecturer

Head of the Department of Pali and Languages

Shan State Buddhist University
Phaya Phyu, Taunggyi, Myanmar 140101
(+95) 09428757648

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

--

Aleix Ruiz-Falqués

Pali Lecturer

Head of the Department of Pali and Languages

Shan State Buddhist University
Phaya Phyu, Taunggyi, Myanmar 140101
(+95) 09428757648

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

--

J. Silk
Leiden University

Leiden University Institute for Area Studies, LIAS

Matthias de Vrieshof 3, Room 0.05b

2311 BZ Leiden

The Netherlands

copies of my publications may be found at

https://leidenuniv.academia.edu/JASilk

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Madhav Deshpande <mmdesh@umich.edu>
To: Indology <indology@list.indology.info>
Cc: 
Bcc: 
Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2019 05:39:54 -0700
Subject: [INDOLOGY] Continuing my Krishna verses

Continuing my Krishna verses

एक एवाद्वितीय: सन्नकामयत माधव: ।

होलिकाखेलनार्थाय लीलया बहुधा बभौ ।।६९८।।

Being one without a second, Krishna had a desire. In order to celebrate Holi, he appeared in multiple forms.

Madhav M. Deshpande

Professor Emeritus

Sanskrit and Linguistics

University of Michigan

[Residence: Campbell, California]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Aleksandar Uskokov <uskokov@uchicago.edu>
To: Audrey Truschke <audrey.truschke@gmail.com>
Cc: "Indology List (indology@list.indology.info)" <indology@list.indology.info>
Bcc: 
Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2019 08:44:39 -0400
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

Dear Audrey, 

Could we have some clarity first as to what the committee actually does? Since the list is not moderated, the workload of the committee is not transparent to me, except for the need to approve membership requests and occasionally intervene when discussions go astray. Why would it be justified to add more female members for the sake of gender parity, rather than having, say, two members (with gender parity) managing the list? 

Best wishes,

Aleksandar 

Aleksandar Uskokov

Lector in Sanskrit 

South Asian Studies Council, Yale University 

203-432-1972 | aleksandar.uskokov@yale.edu 

On Tue, Apr 2, 2019 at 8:12 AM Audrey Truschke via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Dr. Silk raises a valid point, which is that I am slightly vague in my account of what has happened. I would encourage everyone to be sensitive to the fact that other committee members have repeatedly told me, often angrily, to not share their emails and to not discuss any of this with the list at large. There are real risks for women who choose to come forward with these sorts of concerns.

That said, I do point to some specific things, such as an attempt to encourage me to resign when I pointed out bias (March 2019; in an e-mail), refusals to talk about possible bias (numerous e-mails; fall 2018), and persistent demands that I keep silent about what I experience as abuse and intimidation (repeated over the past year or so). To add another specific case, last week a committee member wrote to Dr. Paturi and chastised him for writing 'thank you' to the entire list regarding the post I sent around sharing Anand Venkatkrishnan's excellent blog post on female Sanskritists and sexism. Indology members say thank you to the list all the time without complaint, and so this was a targeted silencing of a discussion about discrimination against women in our profession (and it worked). I think this is a fair amount of precision and several discrete instances. I do not know whether the intent was sexist or biased in any specific case, but the effects were.

So far as how to move forward, I recommend a few concrete steps. All are aimed to redirecting the committee's energy toward making both the committee and the list a more equitable, welcoming place. (1) I want gender parity, or at least approaching gender parity, on the INDOLOGY governing committee by adding female members. I think everyone on this list should value and want gender parity. (2) I want the committee to take further steps to address bias issues, whether that is bias training, a system for adjudicating complaints, shaking up committee membership, or something else. Whatever we decide, I would like those steps announced to the list at large. (3) Personally, I think that the individual who suggested that I resign after pointing out bias should instead, himself, consider stepping down. But I will not press this particular point.

Another thing that I wish to achieve here is awareness and space for conversation. Indology as a discipline may be focused on classical India, but we exist in the modern world, and modern issues of bias are a legitimate topic for scholars to discuss on INDOLOGY (preferably without declarations by list members that a given discussion of bias and discrimination is inappropriate on INDOLOGY). I would like issues of bias and discrimination treated seriously on this list and on the governing committee going forward.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

All the Best,

Audrey Truschke

Assistant Professor

Department of History
Rutgers University-Newark

Audrey Truschke

Assistant Professor

Department of History
Rutgers University-Newark

On Tue, Apr 2, 2019 at 1:18 PM Jon Skarpeid via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

“Given equal qualifications”, I do not find it a discriminatory that institutions prefer gender, minority, or whatever. All branches of public life should (somehow) reflect the population. “Equal qualifications” is a soft tool.

 

But I agree with Jonathan, we should leave German or Austrian higher education. However, if sexism is a reality at Indology, we can’t simply dismiss the debate by referring to the “Sanskrit conference, and matters of that ilk”.

 

Best,

Jon    

 

 

Fra: Jonathan Silk <kauzeya@gmail.com>
Sendt: tirsdag 2. april 2019 13:03
Til: Aleix Ruiz Falqués <arfalques@cantab.net>
Kopi: Jon Skarpeid <jon.skarpeid@uis.no>; Indology List (indology@list.indology.info) <indology@list.indology.info>
Emne: Re: [INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

 

Dear All

First, I want to clarify that I think these discussions are important--in the context of Indology.

However, this list is not, in my opinion, the place to debate (etc) institutional forms of discrimination, fundamentally important as they no doubt are. There are so many things which so many of us are passionate about, but this list is about Indian Studies, and while that surely includes the conduct of the management of the list itself, the recently discussed Sanskrit conference, and matters of that ilk, it does not include, I would maintain,  German or Austrian higher education as a whole, for example. So my plea to all of us is to focus on the topics relevant to this list here, and find other fora for other conversations.

Thank you for listening,

Joanthan

 

On Tue, Apr 2, 2019 at 12:30 PM Aleix Ruiz Falqués via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

Dear Jon and Agnes,

 

The clause you cite automatically appears in any job advertisement in Austria and Germany in the public sector. It is a legal requirement and has nothing to do with the university or department in question. Such clauses were installed at some point because of (among other things) the appallingly low number of female professors (some 14% or so at the time the legislation was introduced).

 

Thank you for the comment. I apologise, I didn't know that universities to not follow the rules. I thought that this clause was actually taken into account. The statement is discriminatory against men, nonetheless, and as an applicant, I wondered if it was really worth trying. Again, that could be the whole purpose of the clause. I don´t know. I just felt it was unfair to men, not to men as a social class, but to particular individuals who may have nothing to do with structural sexism. If you think that´s not the case, then we disagree and that is fine.

 

what’s the problem with “Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female applicants”?

 

The problem is not in this line, but in the previous one, where it says non-discriminatory employment policy. Will you agree that when preference is given on the basis of gender, this is a discriminatory statement? Perhaps I got it wrong.

 

Jon, when I say that a thousand things can be changed I mean they should be, and I think the debate is positive, including the debate on discriminatory clauses. I did not mean anything against Audrey, whom I personally know I respect very much, as a friend and as a scholar. Apologies if anyone felt offended. I am looking forward to what Audrey has to say.

 

Best wishes,

Aleix

 

 

 

 

 

On Tue, 2 Apr 2019 at 15:58, Jon Skarpeid via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

«A thousand things that can be improved» is the argument of relativization. Any wishes for change can be met with relativization, but it’s a poor argument.

 

And dear Aleix, what’s the problem with “Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female applicants”? Perhaps one day we will need to change “female” with “male”. Who knows?

 

Best,

Jon

 

Fra: INDOLOGY <indology-bounces@list.indology.info> På vegne av Aleix Ruiz Falqués via INDOLOGY
Sendt: tirsdag 2. april 2019 11:11
Til: Audrey Truschke <audrey.truschke@gmail.com>
Kopi: Indology List <indology@list.indology.info>
Emne: Re: [INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

 

Dear Audrey,

 

I am sure that there are a thousand things that can be improved. I think I know how you feel. Please see the following clause in one of the jobs I applied for, in Vienna, realted to Indology:

 

The University pursues a non-discriminatory employment policy and values equal opportunities, as well as diversity (http://diversity.univie.ac.at/). The University lays special emphasis on increasing the number of women in senior and in academic positions. Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female applicants. 

 

So much for non-discrimination.

 

Best wishes,

Aleix

 

 

On Tue, 2 Apr 2019 at 14:25, Audrey Truschke via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I am writing to call your attention to the entrenched, worsening sexism I have been experiencing on the INDOLOGY governing committee over the past year or so (I have served on the committee for six years). Other committee members have warned me not to publicly discuss the bullying and abuse that I have faced from them in private. I break my silence and go against their explicit instructions here.

I have repeatedly faced sexism within the INDOLOGY governing committee, ranging from patronizing comments to silencing of discussions about bias to overtly different standards applied to male and female members of the committee and list. I have tried many times to raise these issues internally among the committee and privately with specific individuals. I have been met with blanket denials, belittling of my concerns, declarations that discussing sexism is not a substantive issue, accusations of being a troublemaker, and flat out refusals to discuss gender issues. Indology as a discipline has deep-seated issues with male privilege, discrimination against female scholars, and even outright misogyny. The issues within INDOLOGY's male-dominated governing committee are arguably a reflection of this larger set of problems that systematically drives women out of the discipline. If Indology or INDOLOGY are going to survive in any worthwhile form, we must face our ongoing issues of sexism and bias. I have made numerous suggestions to the INDOLOGY governing committee in this regard, including striving for gender parity on the committee by adding more female members, conducting committee business more openly as a check on bullying, and undergoing bias training. I hope the committee follows up on these suggestions. But, to date, I have seen only a desire to circle the wagons and deny bias, rather than any serious attempt to make the committee or the list a more equitable place.

Last week, following another case where I documented and called out a committee member for acting with bias, that committee member wrote that if he were in my position, he would consider resigning from the committee. In other words, if I find members of the INDOLOGY committee discriminate against women, then I should bow out. I find that suggestion highly inappropriate, and I do not acquiesce to it here. But I will no longer serve as a punching bag for men who insist I keep quiet.

 

I expect to face significant pushback and recriminations for shedding light on the dark underbelly of the INDOLOGY governing committee. But, unlike many of my fellow committee members, I think that this is an issue for the list at large. Many of us, myself included, find scholarly value in this listserv. But knowledge exists within power structures, and I find that I can no longer stomach what I have to overlook in order to quietly run this forum. I think it is time for us to talk about the key issues of bias and sexism facing our discipline that make women unwelcome at every turn, including in running this listserv.

 

All the best,

Audrey

 

Audrey Truschke

Assistant Professor

Department of History
Rutgers University-Newark

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

 

--

Aleix Ruiz-Falqués

Pali Lecturer

Head of the Department of Pali and Languages

Shan State Buddhist University
Phaya Phyu, Taunggyi, Myanmar 140101
(+95) 09428757648

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

 

--

Aleix Ruiz-Falqués

Pali Lecturer

Head of the Department of Pali and Languages

Shan State Buddhist University
Phaya Phyu, Taunggyi, Myanmar 140101
(+95) 09428757648

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

--

J. Silk
Leiden University

Leiden University Institute for Area Studies, LIAS

Matthias de Vrieshof 3, Room 0.05b

2311 BZ Leiden

The Netherlands

 

copies of my publications may be found at

https://leidenuniv.academia.edu/JASilk

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Bradley Clough <bclough9377@gmail.com>
To: "Walser, Joseph" <Joseph.Walser@tufts.edu>
Cc: "Aleix Ruiz Falqués" <arfalques@cantab.net>, "Indology List (indology@list.indology.info)" <indology@list.indology.info>, Jonathan Silk <kauzeya@gmail.com>
Bcc: 
Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2019 06:51:25 -0600
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

Dear Colleagues,

For the exact reason that Joe Walser states, I agree that it is very important indeed  that we honor Audrey Truschke’s suggestion that the listserv discuss matters of discrimination in our field.

Brad Clough

The University of Montana 

On Tue, Apr 2, 2019 at 6:37 AM Walser, Joseph via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

While Jonathan is correct that this is a list about Indian Studies, I do think that it is very much in the interest of the list to address issues of bias and intimidation that Audrey mentioned. Any field of scholarship is an all hands on deck affair. If we want to reach our full potential, then we cannot afford to have some of us intimidated into not sharing work, opinions, etc. because of things like gender bias.

-j

Joseph Walser

Associate Professor

Department of Religion

Tufts University

---

From: INDOLOGY [indology-bounces@list.indology.info] on behalf of Jonathan Silk via INDOLOGY [indology@list.indology.info]
Sent: Tuesday, April 02, 2019 7:03 AM
To: Aleix Ruiz Falqués
Cc: Indology List (indology@list.indology.info)
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

Dear All

First, I want to clarify that I think these discussions are important--in the context of Indology.

However, this list is not, in my opinion, the place to debate (etc) institutional forms of discrimination, fundamentally important as they no doubt are. There are so many things which so many of us are passionate about, but this list is about Indian Studies, and while that surely includes the conduct of the management of the list itself, the recently discussed Sanskrit conference, and matters of that ilk, it does not include, I would maintain,  German or Austrian higher education as a whole, for example. So my plea to all of us is to focus on the topics relevant to this list here, and find other fora for other conversations.

Thank you for listening,

Joanthan

On Tue, Apr 2, 2019 at 12:30 PM Aleix Ruiz Falqués via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

Dear Jon and Agnes,

The clause you cite automatically appears in any job advertisement in Austria and Germany in the public sector. It is a legal requirement and has nothing to do with the university or department in question. Such clauses were installed at some point because of (among other things) the appallingly low number of female professors (some 14% or so at the time the legislation was introduced).

Thank you for the comment. I apologise, I didn't know that universities to not follow the rules. I thought that this clause was actually taken into account. The statement is discriminatory against men, nonetheless, and as an applicant, I wondered if it was really worth trying. Again, that could be the whole purpose of the clause. I don´t know. I just felt it was unfair to men, not to men as a social class, but to particular individuals who may have nothing to do with structural sexism. If you think that´s not the case, then we disagree and that is fine.

what’s the problem with “Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female applicants”?

The problem is not in this line, but in the previous one, where it says non-discriminatory employment policy. Will you agree that when preference is given on the basis of gender, this is a discriminatory statement? Perhaps I got it wrong.

Jon, when I say that a thousand things can be changed I mean they should be, and I think the debate is positive, including the debate on discriminatory clauses. I did not mean anything against Audrey, whom I personally know I respect very much, as a friend and as a scholar. Apologies if anyone felt offended. I am looking forward to what Audrey has to say.

Best wishes,

Aleix

On Tue, 2 Apr 2019 at 15:58, Jon Skarpeid via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

«A thousand things that can be improved» is the argument of relativization. Any wishes for change can be met with relativization, but it’s a poor argument.

 

And dear Aleix, what’s the problem with “Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female applicants”? Perhaps one day we will need to change “female” with “male”. Who knows?

 

Best,

Jon

 

Fra: INDOLOGY <indology-bounces@list.indology.info> På vegne av Aleix Ruiz Falqués via INDOLOGY
Sendt: tirsdag 2. april 2019 11:11
Til: Audrey Truschke <audrey.truschke@gmail.com>
Kopi: Indology List <indology@list.indology.info>
Emne: Re: [INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

 

Dear Audrey,

 

I am sure that there are a thousand things that can be improved. I think I know how you feel. Please see the following clause in one of the jobs I applied for, in Vienna, realted to Indology:

 

The University pursues a non-discriminatory employment policy and values equal opportunities, as well as diversity (http://diversity.univie.ac.at/). The University lays special emphasis on increasing the number of women in senior and in academic positions. Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female applicants. 

 

So much for non-discrimination.

 

Best wishes,

Aleix

 

 

On Tue, 2 Apr 2019 at 14:25, Audrey Truschke via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I am writing to call your attention to the entrenched, worsening sexism I have been experiencing on the INDOLOGY governing committee over the past year or so (I have served on the committee for six years). Other committee members have warned me not to publicly discuss the bullying and abuse that I have faced from them in private. I break my silence and go against their explicit instructions here.

I have repeatedly faced sexism within the INDOLOGY governing committee, ranging from patronizing comments to silencing of discussions about bias to overtly different standards applied to male and female members of the committee and list. I have tried many times to raise these issues internally among the committee and privately with specific individuals. I have been met with blanket denials, belittling of my concerns, declarations that discussing sexism is not a substantive issue, accusations of being a troublemaker, and flat out refusals to discuss gender issues. Indology as a discipline has deep-seated issues with male privilege, discrimination against female scholars, and even outright misogyny. The issues within INDOLOGY's male-dominated governing committee are arguably a reflection of this larger set of problems that systematically drives women out of the discipline. If Indology or INDOLOGY are going to survive in any worthwhile form, we must face our ongoing issues of sexism and bias. I have made numerous suggestions to the INDOLOGY governing committee in this regard, including striving for gender parity on the committee by adding more female members, conducting committee business more openly as a check on bullying, and undergoing bias training. I hope the committee follows up on these suggestions. But, to date, I have seen only a desire to circle the wagons and deny bias, rather than any serious attempt to make the committee or the list a more equitable place.

Last week, following another case where I documented and called out a committee member for acting with bias, that committee member wrote that if he were in my position, he would consider resigning from the committee. In other words, if I find members of the INDOLOGY committee discriminate against women, then I should bow out. I find that suggestion highly inappropriate, and I do not acquiesce to it here. But I will no longer serve as a punching bag for men who insist I keep quiet.

 

I expect to face significant pushback and recriminations for shedding light on the dark underbelly of the INDOLOGY governing committee. But, unlike many of my fellow committee members, I think that this is an issue for the list at large. Many of us, myself included, find scholarly value in this listserv. But knowledge exists within power structures, and I find that I can no longer stomach what I have to overlook in order to quietly run this forum. I think it is time for us to talk about the key issues of bias and sexism facing our discipline that make women unwelcome at every turn, including in running this listserv.

 

All the best,

Audrey

 

Audrey Truschke

Assistant Professor

Department of History
Rutgers University-Newark

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

 

--

Aleix Ruiz-Falqués

Pali Lecturer

Head of the Department of Pali and Languages

Shan State Buddhist University
Phaya Phyu, Taunggyi, Myanmar 140101
(+95) 09428757648

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

--

Aleix Ruiz-Falqués

Pali Lecturer

Head of the Department of Pali and Languages

Shan State Buddhist University
Phaya Phyu, Taunggyi, Myanmar 140101
(+95) 09428757648

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

--

J. Silk
Leiden University

Leiden University Institute for Area Studies, LIAS

Matthias de Vrieshof 3, Room 0.05b

2311 BZ Leiden

The Netherlands

copies of my publications may be found at

https://leidenuniv.academia.edu/JASilk

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Harry Spier <hspier.muktabodha@gmail.com>
To: Indology <indology@list.indology.info>
Cc: 
Bcc: 
Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2019 09:22:06 -0400
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY]  Date of Kāmikāgama-uttarabhāga

Thank you to Patricia Sauthoff and Lubomir Ondracka who replied off-line and pointed me to Dominic Goodall's paper ("Rudragaṇikās: Courtesans in Śiva’s Temple?", probably 12th century.

Harry Spier

On Mon, Apr 1, 2019 at 6:10 PM Harry Spier <hspier.muktabodha@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear list members,

Can anyone give me any information on the date of the Kāmikāgama-uttarabhāga.

Thanks,

Harry Spier

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Nemec, John William (jwn3y)" <jwn3y@virginia.edu>
To: "indology@list.indology.info" <indology@list.indology.info>
Cc: 
Bcc: 
Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2019 13:35:07 +0000
Subject: [INDOLOGY] Audrey Truscke's Email Message

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

______________________________

John Nemec, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Indian Religions and South Asian Studies

Editor, Religion in Translation Series (Oxford University Press)

323 Gibson Hall / 1540 Jefferson Park Avenue

Department of Religious Studies

University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA 22904

434-924-6716

nemec@virginia.edu

https://virginia.academia.edu/JNemec 

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Tieken, H.J.H." <H.J.H.Tieken@hum.leidenuniv.nl>
To: Philipp Maas <philipp.a.maas@gmail.com>, Indology List <indology@list.indology.info>
Cc: 
Bcc: 
Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2019 13:38:24 +0000
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] Unfounded accusations of Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

Dear List members.

Below you may find a mail which I sent on the first of October 2016 to one of the moderators of the list personally (Dominik Wujastik):

Dear Dominik, I was rather amazed to find a message on sexual harassment on the list involving Bxxx Wxxx. It is a personal tragedy for the students involved as well for Bxxx Wxxx. But is this information that should have been passed on through the list? I am of the opinion that it is not and am even more amazed to see that the mail was sent by one of the moderators herself. With kind regards, Herman

A week later hell broke loose.

Herman

Herman Tieken

Stationsweg 58

2515 BP Den Haag

The Netherlands

00 31 (0)70 2208127

website: hermantieken.com

---

Van: INDOLOGY [indology-bounces@list.indology.info] namens Philipp Maas via INDOLOGY [indology@list.indology.info]
Verzonden: dinsdag 2 april 2019 11:13
Aan: Indology List
Onderwerp: [INDOLOGY] Unfounded accusations of Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

Dear Audrey,

In your latest message to the Indology mailing list you stile yourself as a victim of sexism experienced in recent times during your work on the Indology committee. Moreover, you pretend to courageously blow the whistle against the explicit advice of your colleagues who want to keep you silent probably in order to save their reputation.

 

In this situation, it may be of interest to the larger community of colleagues that as a fellow committee member I did not witness a single instance in which, contrary to your claim, you “met with blanket denials, belittling of … [your] concerns, declarations that discussing sexism is not a substantive issue, accusations of being a troublemaker, and flat out refusals to discuss gender issues.“ On the contrary, all committee members, irrespective of their ethnicity and sex, always take your concerns seriously and devote as much time to their discussion as possible under the time constrains we all have to face in our daily work. Of course, we there is disagreed. But disagreement is not necessarily an indication of sexism. It may also occur on the (lack of) merit of arguments.

 

Your move to go public with unfounded accusations in order to strengthen you position in the committee is something for which I have very little understanding. It is utterly unfair to your colleagues who spend a lot of time and energy to keep this list running to the best of their abilities. I can’t believe that you are not aware of this.

 

Best,

 

Philipp

__________________________

Dr. Philipp A. Maas

Research Associate
Institut für Indologie und Zentralasienwissenschaften

Universität Leipzig

___________________________

https://spp1448.academia.edu/PhilippMaas

Am Di., 2. Apr. 2019 um 10:21 Uhr schrieb Jonathan Silk via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info>:

Dear Dr Truschke

I am sure that there are many members of this list who are concerned. But I confess that with the (lack of) information you provide, it is impossible for me either to understand what is actually going on, or what you suggest be done to correct the situation.

I do not mean this in any way to be dismissive; it is a request for further information, and a proposed way forward.

J Silk

On Tue, Apr 2, 2019 at 9:56 AM Audrey Truschke via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I am writing to call your attention to the entrenched, worsening sexism I have been experiencing on the INDOLOGY governing committee over the past year or so (I have served on the committee for six years). Other committee members have warned me not to publicly discuss the bullying and abuse that I have faced from them in private. I break my silence and go against their explicit instructions here.

I have repeatedly faced sexism within the INDOLOGY governing committee, ranging from patronizing comments to silencing of discussions about bias to overtly different standards applied to male and female members of the committee and list. I have tried many times to raise these issues internally among the committee and privately with specific individuals. I have been met with blanket denials, belittling of my concerns, declarations that discussing sexism is not a substantive issue, accusations of being a troublemaker, and flat out refusals to discuss gender issues. Indology as a discipline has deep-seated issues with male privilege, discrimination against female scholars, and even outright misogyny. The issues within INDOLOGY's male-dominated governing committee are arguably a reflection of this larger set of problems that systematically drives women out of the discipline. If Indology or INDOLOGY are going to survive in any worthwhile form, we must face our ongoing issues of sexism and bias. I have made numerous suggestions to the INDOLOGY governing committee in this regard, including striving for gender parity on the committee by adding more female members, conducting committee business more openly as a check on bullying, and undergoing bias training. I hope the committee follows up on these suggestions. But, to date, I have seen only a desire to circle the wagons and deny bias, rather than any serious attempt to make the committee or the list a more equitable place.

Last week, following another case where I documented and called out a committee member for acting with bias, that committee member wrote that if he were in my position, he would consider resigning from the committee. In other words, if I find members of the INDOLOGY committee discriminate against women, then I should bow out. I find that suggestion highly inappropriate, and I do not acquiesce to it here. But I will no longer serve as a punching bag for men who insist I keep quiet.

I expect to face significant pushback and recriminations for shedding light on the dark underbelly of the INDOLOGY governing committee. But, unlike many of my fellow committee members, I think that this is an issue for the list at large. Many of us, myself included, find scholarly value in this listserv. But knowledge exists within power structures, and I find that I can no longer stomach what I have to overlook in order to quietly run this forum. I think it is time for us to talk about the key issues of bias and sexism facing our discipline that make women unwelcome at every turn, including in running this listserv.

All the best,

Audrey

Audrey Truschke

Assistant Professor

Department of History
Rutgers University-Newark

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

--

J. Silk
Leiden University

Leiden University Institute for Area Studies, LIAS

Matthias de Vrieshof 3, Room 0.05b

2311 BZ Leiden

The Netherlands

copies of my publications may be found at

https://leidenuniv.academia.edu/JASilk

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Ram-Prasad, Chakravarthi" <c.ram-prasad@lancaster.ac.uk>
To: Indology List <INDOLOGY@list.indology.info>
Cc: 
Bcc: 
Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2019 13:50:38 +0000
Subject: [INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

Dear Audrey,

I should start with noting that we do not know each other and have never met or been in communication. So I do not speak on a personal matter. But it is clear time and again that men not acknowledging claims about sexism and bias do contribute to the perpetuation of these issues. I think that, rationally, there would be no other reason than actual experience for you to have got to the point of making this post, as it surely will be a matter of discomfort to make your statement openly. Consequently, I would just like to acknowledge that there seems to me to be no situation in which it is somehow impossible that bias exists and/or should not be talked about.

When it comes to the consequences beyond the acknowledgement that you have spoken up as you have for a reason, and an acceptance that we must talk about it, I do see the point that Prof Silk is making, in that it is impossible for anyone on the list who is unaware of the details of the situation to say anything meaningful. We will all be aware that any next step will open a can of worms, as details cannot but hurt people (including yourself, of course). I would support any discussion that asks how we may work in a civilized and supportive manner to proceed with this, and I hope that the tone of what might become an agonized discussion about various interconnected issues is balanced between the personal hurt that will lie at the heart of this matter and the concern for the future of Indology and INDOLOGY that should motivate us.

Best wishes,

Ram

Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad

Fellow of the British Academy

Distinguished Professor of Comparative Religion and Philosophy

Department of Politics, Philosophy and Religion

Lancaster University LA1 4YL

U.K.

---

From: INDOLOGY <indology-bounces@list.indology.info> on behalf of Audrey Truschke via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info>
Sent: 02 April 2019 08:55:13
To: Indology List
Subject: [INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

 

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I am writing to call your attention to the entrenched, worsening sexism I have been experiencing on the INDOLOGY governing committee over the past year or so (I have served on the committee for six years). Other committee members have warned me not to publicly discuss the bullying and abuse that I have faced from them in private. I break my silence and go against their explicit instructions here.

I have repeatedly faced sexism within the INDOLOGY governing committee, ranging from patronizing comments to silencing of discussions about bias to overtly different standards applied to male and female members of the committee and list. I have tried many times to raise these issues internally among the committee and privately with specific individuals. I have been met with blanket denials, belittling of my concerns, declarations that discussing sexism is not a substantive issue, accusations of being a troublemaker, and flat out refusals to discuss gender issues. Indology as a discipline has deep-seated issues with male privilege, discrimination against female scholars, and even outright misogyny. The issues within INDOLOGY's male-dominated governing committee are arguably a reflection of this larger set of problems that systematically drives women out of the discipline. If Indology or INDOLOGY are going to survive in any worthwhile form, we must face our ongoing issues of sexism and bias. I have made numerous suggestions to the INDOLOGY governing committee in this regard, including striving for gender parity on the committee by adding more female members, conducting committee business more openly as a check on bullying, and undergoing bias training. I hope the committee follows up on these suggestions. But, to date, I have seen only a desire to circle the wagons and deny bias, rather than any serious attempt to make the committee or the list a more equitable place.

Last week, following another case where I documented and called out a committee member for acting with bias, that committee member wrote that if he were in my position, he would consider resigning from the committee. In other words, if I find members of the INDOLOGY committee discriminate against women, then I should bow out. I find that suggestion highly inappropriate, and I do not acquiesce to it here. But I will no longer serve as a punching bag for men who insist I keep quiet.

I expect to face significant pushback and recriminations for shedding light on the dark underbelly of the INDOLOGY governing committee. But, unlike many of my fellow committee members, I think that this is an issue for the list at large. Many of us, myself included, find scholarly value in this listserv. But knowledge exists within power structures, and I find that I can no longer stomach what I have to overlook in order to quietly run this forum. I think it is time for us to talk about the key issues of bias and sexism facing our discipline that make women unwelcome at every turn, including in running this listserv.

All the best,

Audrey

Audrey Truschke

Assistant Professor

Department of History
Rutgers University-Newark

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Ram-Prasad, Chakravarthi" <c.ram-prasad@lancaster.ac.uk>
To: Indology List <INDOLOGY@list.indology.info>
Cc: 
Bcc: 
Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2019 13:51:23 +0000
Subject: [INDOLOGY] Fw:  Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

 

Lacking as we do a listserv to discuss the problems within a listserv, this place becomes perforce the forum. One of the things we are learning from all that has been happening with cases of bias as well as studies of institutional forms of discrimination, is that when an entity is the focus of the accusation, it cannot claim for itself the right to determine that it should not so be the focus. There is an important sense in which what we really want discussed are indological issues, of course. But such discussions can only happen on a forum that is open and enabling; so - even if with a degree of discomfort - we have to discuss meta-indological issues, as it were, here, for want of any other place to go. Let us please bear in mind the trade-offs that will happen with who is uncomfortable with what.

All best,

Ram

Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad

Fellow of the British Academy

Distinguished Professor of Comparative Religion and Philosophy

Department of Politics, Philosophy and Religion

Lancaster University LA1 4YL

U.K.

---

From: INDOLOGY <indology-bounces@list.indology.info> on behalf of Bradley Clough via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info>
Sent: 02 April 2019 13:51:25
To: Walser, Joseph
Cc: Indology List (indology@list.indology.info)
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

 

Dear Colleagues,

For the exact reason that Joe Walser states, I agree that it is very important indeed  that we honor Audrey Truschke’s suggestion that the listserv discuss matters of discrimination in our field.

Brad Clough

The University of Montana 

On Tue, Apr 2, 2019 at 6:37 AM Walser, Joseph via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

While Jonathan is correct that this is a list about Indian Studies, I do think that it is very much in the interest of the list to address issues of bias and intimidation that Audrey mentioned. Any field of scholarship is an all hands on deck affair. If we want to reach our full potential, then we cannot afford to have some of us intimidated into not sharing work, opinions, etc. because of things like gender bias.

-j

Joseph Walser

Associate Professor

Department of Religion

Tufts University

---

From: INDOLOGY [indology-bounces@list.indology.info] on behalf of Jonathan Silk via INDOLOGY [indology@list.indology.info]
Sent: Tuesday, April 02, 2019 7:03 AM
To: Aleix Ruiz Falqués
Cc: Indology List (indology@list.indology.info)
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

Dear All

First, I want to clarify that I think these discussions are important--in the context of Indology.

However, this list is not, in my opinion, the place to debate (etc) institutional forms of discrimination, fundamentally important as they no doubt are. There are so many things which so many of us are passionate about, but this list is about Indian Studies, and while that surely includes the conduct of the management of the list itself, the recently discussed Sanskrit conference, and matters of that ilk, it does not include, I would maintain,  German or Austrian higher education as a whole, for example. So my plea to all of us is to focus on the topics relevant to this list here, and find other fora for other conversations.

Thank you for listening,

Joanthan

On Tue, Apr 2, 2019 at 12:30 PM Aleix Ruiz Falqués via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

Dear Jon and Agnes,

The clause you cite automatically appears in any job advertisement in Austria and Germany in the public sector. It is a legal requirement and has nothing to do with the university or department in question. Such clauses were installed at some point because of (among other things) the appallingly low number of female professors (some 14% or so at the time the legislation was introduced).

Thank you for the comment. I apologise, I didn't know that universities to not follow the rules. I thought that this clause was actually taken into account. The statement is discriminatory against men, nonetheless, and as an applicant, I wondered if it was really worth trying. Again, that could be the whole purpose of the clause. I don´t know. I just felt it was unfair to men, not to men as a social class, but to particular individuals who may have nothing to do with structural sexism. If you think that´s not the case, then we disagree and that is fine.

what’s the problem with “Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female applicants”?

The problem is not in this line, but in the previous one, where it says non-discriminatory employment policy. Will you agree that when preference is given on the basis of gender, this is a discriminatory statement? Perhaps I got it wrong.

Jon, when I say that a thousand things can be changed I mean they should be, and I think the debate is positive, including the debate on discriminatory clauses. I did not mean anything against Audrey, whom I personally know I respect very much, as a friend and as a scholar. Apologies if anyone felt offended. I am looking forward to what Audrey has to say.

Best wishes,

Aleix

On Tue, 2 Apr 2019 at 15:58, Jon Skarpeid via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

«A thousand things that can be improved» is the argument of relativization. Any wishes for change can be met with relativization, but it’s a poor argument.

 

And dear Aleix, what’s the problem with “Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female applicants”? Perhaps one day we will need to change “female” with “male”. Who knows?

 

Best,

Jon

 

Fra: INDOLOGY <indology-bounces@list.indology.info> På vegne av Aleix Ruiz Falqués via INDOLOGY
Sendt: tirsdag 2. april 2019 11:11
Til: Audrey Truschke <audrey.truschke@gmail.com>
Kopi: Indology List <indology@list.indology.info>
Emne: Re: [INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

 

Dear Audrey,

 

I am sure that there are a thousand things that can be improved. I think I know how you feel. Please see the following clause in one of the jobs I applied for, in Vienna, realted to Indology:

 

The University pursues a non-discriminatory employment policy and values equal opportunities, as well as diversity (http://diversity.univie.ac.at/). The University lays special emphasis on increasing the number of women in senior and in academic positions. Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female applicants. 

 

So much for non-discrimination.

 

Best wishes,

Aleix

 

 

On Tue, 2 Apr 2019 at 14:25, Audrey Truschke via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I am writing to call your attention to the entrenched, worsening sexism I have been experiencing on the INDOLOGY governing committee over the past year or so (I have served on the committee for six years). Other committee members have warned me not to publicly discuss the bullying and abuse that I have faced from them in private. I break my silence and go against their explicit instructions here.

I have repeatedly faced sexism within the INDOLOGY governing committee, ranging from patronizing comments to silencing of discussions about bias to overtly different standards applied to male and female members of the committee and list. I have tried many times to raise these issues internally among the committee and privately with specific individuals. I have been met with blanket denials, belittling of my concerns, declarations that discussing sexism is not a substantive issue, accusations of being a troublemaker, and flat out refusals to discuss gender issues. Indology as a discipline has deep-seated issues with male privilege, discrimination against female scholars, and even outright misogyny. The issues within INDOLOGY's male-dominated governing committee are arguably a reflection of this larger set of problems that systematically drives women out of the discipline. If Indology or INDOLOGY are going to survive in any worthwhile form, we must face our ongoing issues of sexism and bias. I have made numerous suggestions to the INDOLOGY governing committee in this regard, including striving for gender parity on the committee by adding more female members, conducting committee business more openly as a check on bullying, and undergoing bias training. I hope the committee follows up on these suggestions. But, to date, I have seen only a desire to circle the wagons and deny bias, rather than any serious attempt to make the committee or the list a more equitable place.

Last week, following another case where I documented and called out a committee member for acting with bias, that committee member wrote that if he were in my position, he would consider resigning from the committee. In other words, if I find members of the INDOLOGY committee discriminate against women, then I should bow out. I find that suggestion highly inappropriate, and I do not acquiesce to it here. But I will no longer serve as a punching bag for men who insist I keep quiet.

 

I expect to face significant pushback and recriminations for shedding light on the dark underbelly of the INDOLOGY governing committee. But, unlike many of my fellow committee members, I think that this is an issue for the list at large. Many of us, myself included, find scholarly value in this listserv. But knowledge exists within power structures, and I find that I can no longer stomach what I have to overlook in order to quietly run this forum. I think it is time for us to talk about the key issues of bias and sexism facing our discipline that make women unwelcome at every turn, including in running this listserv.

 

All the best,

Audrey

 

Audrey Truschke

Assistant Professor

Department of History
Rutgers University-Newark

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--

Aleix Ruiz-Falqués

Pali Lecturer

Head of the Department of Pali and Languages

Shan State Buddhist University
Phaya Phyu, Taunggyi, Myanmar 140101
(+95) 09428757648

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--

Aleix Ruiz-Falqués

Pali Lecturer

Head of the Department of Pali and Languages

Shan State Buddhist University
Phaya Phyu, Taunggyi, Myanmar 140101
(+95) 09428757648

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

--

J. Silk
Leiden University

Leiden University Institute for Area Studies, LIAS

Matthias de Vrieshof 3, Room 0.05b

2311 BZ Leiden

The Netherlands

copies of my publications may be found at

https://leidenuniv.academia.edu/JASilk

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---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jason Birch <jb92@soas.ac.uk>
To: "Ram-Prasad, Chakravarthi" <c.ram-prasad@lancaster.ac.uk>
Cc: Indology List <INDOLOGY@list.indology.info>
Bcc: 
Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2019 15:19:56 +0100
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

Dear Indology Committee,

It seems that the Indology committee needs a grievance policy whereby a committee member might make a complaint to a mediator, who is not a committee member, is given access to the relevant evidence, has training in mediation and can bring the committee members together to find a resolution. Is such a grievance policy in place?

The general issue of gender parity on the committee might be discussed profitably by list members, but I can’t see how list members can mediate (via a group discussion on the forum) particular accusations of sexism by committee members. 

Best wishes,

Jason  

On 2 Apr 2019, at 14:50, Ram-Prasad, Chakravarthi via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

Dear Audrey,

I should start with noting that we do not know each other and have never met or been in communication. So I do not speak on a personal matter. But it is clear time and again that men not acknowledging claims about sexism and bias do contribute to the perpetuation of these issues. I think that, rationally, there would be no other reason than actual experience for you to have got to the point of making this post, as it surely will be a matter of discomfort to make your statement openly. Consequently, I would just like to acknowledge that there seems to me to be no situation in which it is somehow impossible that bias exists and/or should not be talked about.

When it comes to the consequences beyond the acknowledgement that you have spoken up as you have for a reason, and an acceptance that we must talk about it, I do see the point that Prof Silk is making, in that it is impossible for anyone on the list who is unaware of the details of the situation to say anything meaningful. We will all be aware that any next step will open a can of worms, as details cannot but hurt people (including yourself, of course). I would support any discussion that asks how we may work in a civilized and supportive manner to proceed with this, and I hope that the tone of what might become an agonized discussion about various interconnected issues is balanced between the personal hurt that will lie at the heart of this matter and the concern for the future of Indology and INDOLOGY that should motivate us.

Best wishes,

Ram

Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad

Fellow of the British Academy

Distinguished Professor of Comparative Religion and Philosophy

Department of Politics, Philosophy and Religion

Lancaster University LA1 4YL

U.K.

---

From: INDOLOGY <indology-bounces@list.indology.info> on behalf of Audrey Truschke via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info>
Sent: 02 April 2019 08:55:13
To: Indology List
Subject: [INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

 

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I am writing to call your attention to the entrenched, worsening sexism I have been experiencing on the INDOLOGY governing committee over the past year or so (I have served on the committee for six years). Other committee members have warned me not to publicly discuss the bullying and abuse that I have faced from them in private. I break my silence and go against their explicit instructions here.

I have repeatedly faced sexism within the INDOLOGY governing committee, ranging from patronizing comments to silencing of discussions about bias to overtly different standards applied to male and female members of the committee and list. I have tried many times to raise these issues internally among the committee and privately with specific individuals. I have been met with blanket denials, belittling of my concerns, declarations that discussing sexism is not a substantive issue, accusations of being a troublemaker, and flat out refusals to discuss gender issues. Indology as a discipline has deep-seated issues with male privilege, discrimination against female scholars, and even outright misogyny. The issues within INDOLOGY's male-dominated governing committee are arguably a reflection of this larger set of problems that systematically drives women out of the discipline. If Indology or INDOLOGY are going to survive in any worthwhile form, we must face our ongoing issues of sexism and bias. I have made numerous suggestions to the INDOLOGY governing committee in this regard, including striving for gender parity on the committee by adding more female members, conducting committee business more openly as a check on bullying, and undergoing bias training. I hope the committee follows up on these suggestions. But, to date, I have seen only a desire to circle the wagons and deny bias, rather than any serious attempt to make the committee or the list a more equitable place.

Last week, following another case where I documented and called out a committee member for acting with bias, that committee member wrote that if he were in my position, he would consider resigning from the committee. In other words, if I find members of the INDOLOGY committee discriminate against women, then I should bow out. I find that suggestion highly inappropriate, and I do not acquiesce to it here. But I will no longer serve as a punching bag for men who insist I keep quiet.

I expect to face significant pushback and recriminations for shedding light on the dark underbelly of the INDOLOGY governing committee. But, unlike many of my fellow committee members, I think that this is an issue for the list at large. Many of us, myself included, find scholarly value in this listserv. But knowledge exists within power structures, and I find that I can no longer stomach what I have to overlook in order to quietly run this forum. I think it is time for us to talk about the key issues of bias and sexism facing our discipline that make women unwelcome at every turn, including in running this listserv.

All the best,

Audrey

Audrey Truschke

Assistant Professor

Department of History
Rutgers University-Newark

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
INDOLOGY@list.indology.info
indology-owner@list.indology.info (messages to the list's managing committee)
http://listinfo.indology.info (where you can change your list options or unsubscribe)

_______________________________________________
INDOLOGY mailing list
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http://list.indology.info/mailman/listinfo/indology_list.indology.info