Dear Colleagues,
This year the American Academy of Religion will be hosting an exploratory session in Hindu Philosophy at the annual meeting in San Diego. The AAR has long been an important forum for research in Buddhist philosophy, with dedicated units in Buddhist Philosophy,
Yogâcâra, and Buddhist Critical-Constructive Reflection. But there has been no dedicated forum for research in non-Buddhist philosophical traditions of India.
Our hope is to establish a permanent unit in Hindu Philosophy at AAR, and this year's exploratory session is the first step. If you are coming to San Diego, I hope you will consider joining us for our session on Sunday morning, Nov. 24 (full details below).
Even if you are only able to come for part of the session, this is still an important way of demonstrating to AAR's Program Committee that there is enough interest to establish a unit. If you are unable to attend but would still like to voice your support
for the unit--this includes international colleagues and others who do not regularly attend AAR--feel free to send me an email: <msa2b@virginia.edu>.
The last part of the session will include an open discussion of the future of the unit. Come with thoughts, suggestions, and criticisms. To forestall obvious criticism, I should probably note (in a nod to Buddhist philosophy), that both "Hindu" and "philosophy"
are intended as "convenient designators." During the session we can discuss other possible titles for the unit.
Best wishes,
Michael
Michael S. Allen
Assistant Professor
Department of Religious Studies
University of Virginia
------
American Academy of Religion, Annual Meeting 2019
Exploratory Session (A24-133)
Theme: Hindu Philosophy
Michael Allen, University of Virginia, Presiding
Sunday, November 24, 9:00 AM-11:30 AM
Hilton Bayfront-Aqua 310A (Third Level)
The goal of this session is to bring together scholars working on Hindu philosophy broadly construed, including not only classical schools but a wide range of traditions from the ancient past to the present
day. We hope to gauge interest in the possibility of establishing a unit in Hindu philosophy parallel to the existing unit in Buddhist philosophy. The session will include ample time for discussion not just of the papers but also of the state of the field.
The theme is “Philosophy and Practice.” What relationships can we trace between philosophical traditions and “lived religion”? To what extent do “abstract” ideas inform concrete practices? To what extent do everyday practices shape the horizon of philosophical
possibilities? From the Vedic period to the twentieth century, from aesthetics to political philosophy: together, the four papers highlight the breadth, the methodological diversity, and the promise of the field of Hindu philosophy.
Laurie Louise Patton, Middlebury College
Watching the Moon Move: What The Imagists Might Ask of the Vedic Poets
Catherine Prueitt, George Mason University
Abhinavagupta on the Transformation of Pain
Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad, Lancaster University
Hearing, Thinking, Contemplation: Revisiting the Advaitic Model of the Accomplishment of Cognition
Nalini Bhushan, Smith College
Gandhi’s Incipient Cosmopolitanism: Glimpses of Enlightenment Aspirations in Gandhi’s Antimodernist Nationalism
Responding:
Parimal Patil, Harvard University