Appendix D: Brief Biographies of Key Scholars
Contemporary Voices in Hindu Textual Studies
This appendix introduces leading scholars whose work has shaped contemporary understanding of Hindu sacred texts. These figures represent diverse methodological approaches—from traditional philology to postcolonial critique—and demonstrate how scholarly interpretation continues evolving. Scholars are organized by primary methodological orientation, though many work across multiple approaches.
I. Historical and Philological Approaches
Sheldon Pollock
Arvind Raghunathan Professor of South Asian Studies, Columbia University
Methodological Approach: Historical linguistics, literary theory, postcolonial studies Major Contributions: Pollock's seminal work The Language of the Gods in the World of Men (2006) traces Sanskrit's transformation from sacred liturgical language to vehicle of political power across Asia. His theorization of the "Sanskrit cosmopolis" has fundamentally redefined understanding of how textual culture operated in premodern South and Southeast Asia. Key Innovation: Demonstrated how literary and religious texts served imperial and cultural projects, challenging traditional boundaries between "sacred" and "secular" literature. Contemporary Influence: Director of the Murty Classical Library of India; influential in digital humanities projects; cited extensively in postcolonial literary studies.
Key Works to Consult: The Language of the Gods in the World of Men (2006); A Rasa Reader (2016); Ramayana Book Three (translation, 2022)
Romila Thapar
Professor Emerita of Ancient Indian History, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Methodological Approach: Social history, materialist analysis, historiography Major Contributions: Thapar's pioneering historical work, including Early India (2002) and The Past Before Us (2013), reframes early Indian religious texts within political, economic, and social contexts rather than purely theological frameworks. Key Innovation: Challenged essentialist views of Hinduism by demonstrating how texts like the Ṛgveda and Mahābhārata were shaped by changing historical conditions and social conflicts. Contemporary Influence: Major voice in debates over Indian historiography; frequent public intellectual on secularism and communalism; influential in textbook controversies.
Key Works to Consult: Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300 (2002); The Past Before Us (2013); Voices of Dissent(2020)
Gavin Flood
Professor of Hindu Studies and Comparative Religion, University of Oxford
Methodological Approach: Phenomenology, ritual studies, embodiment theory Major Contributions: Flood's research spans Vedic ritual, tantric traditions, and the phenomenology of religious experience. His work The Truth Within (2013) explores how sacred texts are not merely read but embodied and enacted within living traditions. Key Innovation: Developed sophisticated understanding of how textual authority operates through embodied practice rather than abstract interpretation. Contemporary Influence: Editor of major reference works; influential in European Hindu studies; bridges academic and practitioner perspectives.
Key Works to Consult: An Introduction to Hinduism (1996); The Truth Within: A History of Inwardness (2013); The Tantric Body (2006)
II. Literary and Hermeneutical Studies
Wendy Doniger
Mircea Eliade Distinguished Service Professor Emerita, University of Chicago
Methodological Approach: Comparative mythology, feminist theory, psychoanalytic interpretation Major Contributions: Prolific translator and theorist whose works—including The Hindus: An Alternative History (2009) and translations of the Kāmasūtra and Manusmṛti—challenge normative readings and foreground pluralism, gender, and mythology. Key Innovation: Pioneered feminist readings of Hindu texts; emphasized alternative narratives often suppressed in orthodox interpretations. Contemporary Influence: Controversial figure in contemporary Hindu discourse; sparked debates about academic authority versus devotional interpretation; influenced gender studies in religion.
Key Works to Consult: The Hindus: An Alternative History (2009); The Implied Spider (1998); Splitting the Difference(1999)
Laurie L. Patton
President of Middlebury College and Professor of Religion
Methodological Approach: Feminist theory, comparative mythology, canonical studies Major Contributions: Specialist in early Vedic interpretation and gender studies, her edited volume Authority, Anxiety, and Canon (1994) remains landmark in study of Hindu scriptural formation. Combines philological rigor with feminist theoretical frameworks. Key Innovation: Analyzed how textual boundaries and canonical authority often reflect and reinforce gender hierarchies.Contemporary Influence: Leader in liberal arts education; influential in debates about inclusivity in religious studies; bridge between academic and administrative leadership.
Key Works to Consult: Authority, Anxiety, and Canon (ed., 1994); Myth as Argument (1996); Bringing the Gods to Mind(2005)
Richard H. Davis
Professor of Religion, Bard College
Methodological Approach: Material culture studies, reception theory, media studies Major Contributions: Davis's interdisciplinary work examines the material culture of Hindu texts, including Lives of Indian Images (1997) and The Bhagavad Gita: A Biography (2014). Explores how sacred texts are produced, transmitted, and reinterpreted across time and media. Key Innovation: Demonstrated that textual authority is inseparable from performance, visualization, and reception contexts. Contemporary Influence: Pioneer in "biography of texts" approach; influential in art history and material religion studies.
Key Works to Consult: Lives of Indian Images (1997); The Bhagavad Gita: A Biography (2014); Ritual in an Oscillating Universe (1991)
III. Anthropological and Ethnographic Approaches
Vasudha Narayanan
Distinguished Professor of Religion, University of Florida
Methodological Approach: Ethnography, diaspora studies, lived religion Major Contributions: Leading scholar of Hindu temple traditions, diaspora communities, and liturgical texts. Her work The Vernacular Veda (1994) highlights how sacred text and ritual are intertwined in everyday religious life. Key Innovation: Emphasized lived and performative dimensions of Hindu scripture, moving beyond purely textual analysis. Contemporary Influence: Past president of American Academy of Religion; major voice on Hindu diaspora; consultant for museums and cultural institutions.
Key Works to Consult: The Vernacular Veda (1994); The Life of Hinduism (co-ed., 2006); Hinduism (2004)
Joanne Punzo Waghorne
Professor Emerita of Religion, Syracuse University
Methodological Approach: Anthropology of religion, urban studies, globalization theory Major Contributions: Pioneering work on how Hindu traditions adapt in urban and global contexts. Her studies of temple construction and community formation demonstrate textual tradition's ongoing evolution. Key Innovation: Showed how scriptural interpretation changes through migration, urbanization, and technological mediation. Contemporary Influence: Influential in diaspora studies; consulted on Hindu community development projects.
Key Works to Consult: Diaspora of the Gods (2004); The Raja's Magic Clothes (1994); Gods of Flesh, Gods of Stone(co-ed., 1985)
IV. Theological and Philosophical Studies
Anantanand Rambachan
Professor of Religion, St. Olaf College
Methodological Approach: Hindu theology, interfaith dialogue, liberation theology Major Contributions: Hindu theologian trained in Advaita Vedānta, his works—including The Advaita Worldview (2006) and A Hindu Theology of Liberation (2015)—explore interfaces between Hindu texts and contemporary ethics. Key Innovation: Developed systematic Hindu theology addressing modern social issues while remaining grounded in traditional scriptural interpretation. Contemporary Influence: Major voice in interfaith dialogue; influential in progressive Hindu communities; bridge between academic and devotional communities.
Key Works to Consult: The Advaita Worldview (2006); A Hindu Theology of Liberation (2015); Accomplishing the Accomplished (2001)
Francis X. Clooney, S.J.
Parkman Professor of Divinity, Harvard University
Methodological Approach: Comparative theology, interfaith studies, contemplative scholarship Major Contributions: Jesuit scholar specializing in Sanskrit and Tamil religious literature. Pioneer in comparative theology methodology, particularly in Hindu Wisdom for All God's Children (1998) and His Hiding Place is Darkness (2013). Key Innovation: Developed rigorous methods for theological dialogue across traditions while maintaining scholarly objectivity.Contemporary Influence: Leading figure in Catholic-Hindu dialogue; influential in comparative theology methodology; regular contributor to public discourse on religious pluralism.
Key Works to Consult: Theology After Vedanta (1993); His Hiding Place is Darkness (2013); Comparative Theology(2010)
V. Critical and Postcolonial Perspectives
Brian K. Smith
Associate Professor of Religion, Barnard College, Columbia University
Methodological Approach: Structuralism, symbolic anthropology, critical theory Major Contributions: Influential work on Vedic ritual and symbolic systems, particularly in Reflections on Resemblance, Ritual, and Religion (1989), explores how ancient Hindu texts encode cosmology, social order, and theology. Key Innovation: Applied structuralist theory to demonstrate how Hindu texts operate within frameworks of social power and identity construction. Contemporary Influence: Influential in religious studies methodology; contributed to debates about classification and comparison in religious studies.
Key Works to Consult: Reflections on Resemblance, Ritual, and Religion (1989); Classifying the Universe (1994); Rules and Prohibitions (1997)
Joydeep Bagchee
Independent Scholar, India Institute of Advanced Study
Methodological Approach: Postcolonial critique, philosophy of science, intellectual history Major Contributions: Co-authored The Nay Science (2014), a critical examination of Indology and its colonial legacies. Advocates for postcolonial approaches to Hindu texts that recognize both internal coherence and orientalist distortions. Key Innovation: Systematic critique of colonial-era scholarly assumptions that continue influencing contemporary Hindu studies. Contemporary Influence: Controversial figure in Indological debates; influential among scholars questioning Western academic approaches to Indian traditions.
Key Works to Consult: The Nay Science (with Vishwa Adluri, 2014); Philology and Criticism (2018)
Arti Dhand
Associate Professor of Religion, University of Toronto
Methodological Approach: Feminist theory, narrative analysis, ethics Major Contributions: Groundbreaking work on gender and sexuality in Hindu texts, particularly Woman as Fire, Woman as Sage (2008), which reexamines epic literature through feminist lens. Key Innovation: Demonstrated how careful feminist reading can recover women's agency and alternative ethical frameworks within traditional texts. Contemporary Influence: Leading voice in feminist approaches to Hindu studies; influential in gender and religion studies.
Key Works to Consult: Woman as Fire, Woman as Sage (2008); The Dharma of Ethics, the Ethics of Dharma (2002)
VI. Contemporary and Digital Studies
Ravi M. Gupta
Associate Professor of Philosophy, Utah State University
Methodological Approach: Textual transmission studies, bhakti traditions, digital humanities Major Contributions: Specialist in Gaudiya Vaiṣṇava traditions and textual transmission. His work on Caitanya Vaiṣṇava Vedānta (2007) demonstrates how devotional communities shape scriptural interpretation. Key Innovation: Combined traditional textual scholarship with analysis of living devotional communities. Contemporary Influence: Bridge between academic study and practitioner communities; influential in Vaiṣṇava studies.
Key Works to Consult: Caitanya Vaiṣṇava Vedānta (2007); The Caitanya Vaiṣṇava Vedānta of Jīva Gosvāmī (2007)
Raj Patel
Associate Professor of South Asian Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara
Methodological Approach: Digital humanities, manuscript studies, computational analysis Major Contributions: Pioneer in applying digital methods to Sanskrit and vernacular manuscript traditions. Leading figure in projects digitizing and analyzing Hindu textual corpora. Key Innovation: Developed computational methods for analyzing textual transmission and variation across manuscript traditions. Contemporary Influence: Leader in digital Sanskrit studies; influential in preservation and accessibility initiatives.
Deepika Bahri
Professor of English, Emory University
Methodological Approach: Postcolonial literary theory, diaspora studies, cultural criticism Major Contributions: Influential work on how Hindu texts function in diaspora contexts and popular culture. Her analysis of contemporary Hindu identity formation through textual engagement bridges literary and religious studies. Key Innovation: Analyzed how sacred texts acquire new meanings through migration, popular culture, and global media. Contemporary Influence: Major voice in postcolonial studies; influential in cultural studies approaches to religion.
VII. Traditional Scholars in Academic Context
Kapila Vatsyayan
Scholar and Arts Administrator (1928-2020)
Methodological Approach: Traditional Sanskrit scholarship, interdisciplinary cultural studies Major Contributions: Bridged traditional Sanskrit learning with modern academic methods. Her work on aesthetics and performance traditions demonstrated how texts live through artistic expression. Legacy: Model for integrating traditional knowledge systems with contemporary scholarship.
Key Works to Consult: Classical Indian Dance in Literature and the Arts (1968); The Square and the Circle of the Indian Arts (1983)
Arvind Sharma
Birks Professor of Comparative Religion, McGill University
Methodological Approach: Comparative religion, Hindu theology, inter-traditional dialogue Major Contributions: Prolific scholar bridging traditional Hindu learning with comparative religious studies. Influential in debates about religious pluralism and Hindu identity. Key Innovation: Developed sophisticated theological responses to modernity while maintaining traditional frameworks. Contemporary Influence: Major voice in Hindu theological discourse; influential in global religious dialogue.
Key Works to Consult: A Hindu Perspective on the Philosophy of Religion (1990); Hinduism and Human Rights (2004)
Notes on Scholarly Diversity
Methodological Pluralism: These scholars represent the methodological diversity characterizing contemporary Hindu studies—from traditional philology to postcolonial critique, from ethnographic fieldwork to digital analysis.
Institutional Contexts: Scholars work across different institutional settings—major research universities, liberal arts colleges, independent institutes, and international institutions—each shaping their interpretive approaches.
Public Engagement: Many of these figures engage beyond academia through popular writing, media appearances, consulting work, and policy engagement, demonstrating scholarship's public relevance.
Ongoing Debates: Contemporary Hindu textual studies remains a contested field, with ongoing debates about methodology, cultural sensitivity, insider versus outsider perspectives, and the relationship between scholarship and faith.
Global Perspectives: This list includes scholars from diverse cultural backgrounds working in various national contexts, reflecting the international character of contemporary Hindu studies.
These scholars demonstrate that Hindu textual interpretation is not a closed tradition but an ongoing conversation involving diverse voices, methods, and perspectives. Their work shows how ancient texts continue speaking to contemporary concerns while adapting to new interpretive contexts and scholarly methods.