Dear Colleagues,

Having recently confirmed with its organizers that the Annual Conference on South Asia will, indeed, take place this year, I am writing on behalf of Srilata Raman and myself to gauge interest in a pre-conference symposium focused on the theme of “detachment” (Skt. vairāgya) in South Asian religious history. We are especially interested in presenters whose work approaches the topic of detachment through the analysis of Śaiva texts, whether those be composed in Sanskrit, Tamil, or some other Indian language. Papers might explore, for instance, conceptions of austerity and ascesis in Śaiva revealed, exegetical, or poetical literature, the history of Śaiva yoga, renunciatory social formations and related institutions (e.g., the maṭha), etc. 

If you are interested in participating, please email Srilata (s.raman@utoronto.ca) and me (esteinschneider@ithaca.edu) no later than Jan. 31 with a couple of sentences describing your proposed paper topic so that we can begin to formulate a proposal. Depending on the number of replies we receive, we will either plan for a full- or half-day symposium. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

All the best,

Eric