26 | On the Transmission of the Sanskritic Culture in the Colonial Period: Philology and Print in South Asia
The panel aims to explore the transmission of texts of the Sanskritic culture in colonial South Asia by looking, in particular, at the publishers’ entrepreneurship and the philological activity (namely editorial and interpretative practices) concerning Sanskrit texts.
Convenor:
Timeslots:
· 07/27 | 13:30-15:00 UTC+2/CEST
Long Abstract
Sanskrit literature preserved in manuscript (and oral) form was first printed in South Asia during the colonial period, when print technology was massively adopted in South Asia. The reproduction of Sanskrit works in print was the result of printer-publishers’ entrepreneurship and of an intense philological activity, based on editorial and interpretative practices. The contours of both dimensions, namely publishing production and philology, are still quite nebulous. Valuable information can be gathered through an investigation of printed books, catalogues, library registers etc., and a comparison between the texts or textual corpora in manuscripts and printed books. The papers of the panel On the transmission of the Sanskritic culture in the colonial period: Philology and print in South Asia will look at interpretative and editorial practices applied to Sanskrit texts, and explore publishing projects of printer-publishers. Furthermore, they will reflect on the impact and consequences that philological practices and publishers’ entrepreneurship exerted on the transmission and diffusion of Sanskrit literature and, through it, of indigenous knowledge systems such as (but not limited to) philosophy, Yoga, or Ayurveda. Crossing disciplinary boundaries is a necessity as well as a challenge in this kind of investigation, since we need to explore how the Sanskritic culture extends into the colonial period. Also, we need to consider aspects of the social and cultural history of manuscripts and printed books, and their complex interplay in 19th and 20th century South Asia.
Presentations
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07/27 | 11:00-11:20 UTC+2/CEST
Lithography in 19th Century Mumbaī: Bapu Sadashiv Sheth’s and Other Lithographic Presses (Camillo A. Formigatti) -
07/27 | 11:20-11:40 UTC+2/CEST
The Transmission of Premodern Yogāsanas by Illustrated Manuscripts and Printed Books (Jason Birch) -
07/27 | 11:40-12:00 UTC+2/CEST
Dance Tradition in the Making Between Manuscript and Print Culture (Elisa Ganser) -
07/27 | 12:00-12:20 UTC+2/CEST
A Note on the Printed Editions of the Śivapurāṇa (Christèle Barois) -
07/27 | 13:30-13:50 UTC+2/CEST
The 19th Century Sri Lankan Sanskrit Renaissance and Legacy of the Sinhala RāmāyaṇA (Justin Henry) -
07/27 | 13:50-14:10 UTC+2/CEST
Editing and “Translating” the Amarakośa: Henry Thomas Colebrooke and the Making of Colonial Botany, C. 1800 (Minakshi Menon) -
07/27 | 14:10-14:30 UTC+2/CEST
The Transmission of the Carakasaṃhitā in Colonial South Asia (Cristina Pecchia)