CleanupBot: Bot: Deleting out-dated template

2026-09-20T14:55:01Z

Bot: Deleting out-dated template

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:25, 20 September 2026
Line 1:		Line 1:
	{{Short description\|Historian of late medieval India}}		{{Short description\|Historian of late medieval India}}
	~~{{pp\|small=yes}}~~
	{{Infobox academic		{{Infobox academic
	\| name = Audrey Truschke		\| name = Audrey Truschke

CleanupBot: /* top */robot: remove incorrect protection templates

2022-01-29T04:18:13Z

top: robot: remove incorrect protection templates

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:48, 29 January 2022
Line 1:		Line 1:
	{{Short description\|Historian of late medieval India}}		{{Short description\|Historian of late medieval India}}
	~~{{pp-blp\|small=yes}}~~'''Audrey Truschke''' is a historian of South Asia and an associate professor at [[Rutgers University]]. Her work focuses on Hindu–Muslim relations in South Asia, especially during the [[Mughal Empire]]. She has been a frequent target of harassment by [[Hindutva\|right-wing Hindu nationalists]], who accuse her of having prejudiced views on Hinduism, and making offensive statements; scholars reject the charges.<ref name="Scroll_Staff" /><ref name="Chung" /><ref name="wire.in" />		'''Audrey Truschke''' is a historian of South Asia and an associate professor at [[Rutgers University]]. Her work focuses on Hindu–Muslim relations in South Asia, especially during the [[Mughal Empire]]. She has been a frequent target of harassment by [[Hindutva\|right-wing Hindu nationalists]], who accuse her of having prejudiced views on Hinduism, and making offensive statements; scholars reject the charges.<ref name="Scroll_Staff" /><ref name="Chung" /><ref name="wire.in" />

	== Education and career ==		== Education and career ==

>Joshua Jonathan: removed Category:Hindutva harassment; added Category:Hindutva harassment of scholars using HotCat

2021-07-10T12:57:25Z

removed Category:Hindutva harassment; added Category:Hindutva harassment of scholars using HotCat

New page

{{Short description|Historian of late medieval India}}
{{pp-blp|small=yes}}
'''Audrey Truschke''' is a historian of South Asia and an associate professor at [[Rutgers University]].<ref name="Vadukut"/> Her work focuses on Hindu–Muslim relations in South Asia, especially during the [[Mughal Empire]]. She has been a frequent target of Hindutva harassment.<ref name="Scroll_Staff"/>

== Education and career ==
Truschke received her bachelor's in religious studies from [[University of Chicago]] (2004).<ref name="CV"/> She graduated from [[Columbia University]] (2007) in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies before going on to receive a M.Phil. (2008) in the same discipline.<ref name="CV" />

She received her PhD from Columbia University in 2012, and was a postdoctoral fellow at [[University of Cambridge]] (2012-2013) and Stanford University (2013-2016).<ref name="CV" /> In 2015, she joined Rutgers University as an assistant professor of South Asian History and in 2020, she was promoted to associate professorship.<ref name="CV" /> She is also the current director of the Asian Studies program.<ref name="Rutgers_resume"/>

== Publications and reception ==

=== Monographs ===
In 2016, ''[[Culture of Encounters: Sanskrit at the Mughal Court]]'', was published by [[Columbia University Press]]. It dwelt upon the literary, social, and political roles of Sanskrit in the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] courts from 1560 to 1650, and was reviewed in multiple journals.<ref name="Rutgers_resume" /> Aria Fani, in the [[Journal of Iranian Studies]] found the work to be an invaluable contribution to South Asian studies.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Fani|first=Aria|date=2019-03-04|title=Culture of Encounters: Sanskrit at the Mughal Court|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/00210862.2019.1590819|journal=Iranian Studies|volume=52|issue=1–2|pages=231–237|doi=10.1080/00210862.2019.1590819|s2cid=167120313|issn=0021-0862}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Smith|first=Edmond|date=2017|title=Review of 'Culture of Encounters: Sanskrit at the Mughal Court'|url=http://www.history.ac.uk/reviews/review/2122|journal=Reviews in History|doi=10.14296/RiH/2014/2122|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Gandhi"/><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Anooshahr|first=Ali|date=2018-08-03|title=Culture of Encounters: Sanskrit at the Mughal Court, written by Audrey Truschke|url=https://brill.com/view/journals/jemh/22/4/article-p299_6.xml|journal=Journal of Early Modern History|language=en|volume=22|issue=4|pages=299–301|doi=10.1163/15700658-12342585-01|issn=1385-3783}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Gommans|first=Jos|date=2017-12-01|title=Audrey Truschke. Culture of Encounters: Sanskrit at the Mughal Court.|url=https://academic.oup.com/ahr/article/122/5/1584/4724842|journal=The American Historical Review|language=en|volume=122|issue=5|pages=1584–1585|doi=10.1093/ahr/122.5.1584|issn=0002-8762}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Keshavmurthy|first=Prashant|date=May 2017|title=Audrey Truschke , Culture of Encounters: Sanskrit at the Mughal Court (New York: Columbia University Press, 2016). Pp. 384. $60.00 cloth. ISBN: 9780231173629|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-middle-east-studies/article/abs/audrey-truschke-culture-of-encounters-sanskrit-at-the-mughal-court-new-york-columbia-university-press-2016-pp-384-6000-cloth-isbn-9780231173629/306C5E19112AAECD7D24B2ECF1420491|journal=International Journal of Middle East Studies|language=en|volume=49|issue=2|pages=349–352|doi=10.1017/S0020743817000174|s2cid=165087547|issn=0020-7438}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Talbot|first=Cynthia|date=February 2017|title=Audrey Truschke : Culture of Encounters: Sanskrit at the Mughal Court. xiii, 362 pp. New York: Columbia University Press, 2016. £44. ISBN 978 0231173629.|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bulletin-of-the-school-of-oriental-and-african-studies/article/abs/audrey-truschke-culture-of-encounters-sanskrit-at-the-mughal-court-xiii-362-pp-new-york-columbia-university-press-2016-44-isbn-978-0231173629/0B01E37DF174DF88D4A444B23D095B6F|journal=Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies|language=en|volume=80|issue=1|pages=167–168|doi=10.1017/S0041977X17000301|issn=0041-977X}}</ref>

In 2017, she published ''[[Aurangzeb: The Life and Legacy of India's Most Controversial King]]'' about the Mughal emperor [[Aurangzeb]], with [[Stanford University Press]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Aurangzeb {{!}} Reading Religion|url=https://readingreligion.org/books/aurangzeb|access-date=2021-03-14|website=readingreligion.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Mondini|first=Sara|date=October 2018|title=Audrey Truschke: Aurangzeb: The Life and Legacy of India's Most Controversial King. xiii, 136 pp. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2017. ISBN 978 1 5036 0257 1.|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bulletin-of-the-school-of-oriental-and-african-studies/article/abs/audrey-truschke-aurangzeb-the-life-and-legacy-of-indias-most-controversial-king-xiii-136-pp-stanford-stanford-university-press-2017-isbn-978-1-5036-0257-1/A257F5FC3BA734D3C7080881687D2C43|journal=Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies|language=en|volume=81|issue=3|pages=555–557|doi=10.1017/S0041977X18001179|s2cid=187354883|issn=0041-977X}}</ref> Historian Munis D. Faruqui in the ''[[Journal of the American Academy of Religion]]'' stated that "nonacademics are well served by this book" but scholars might be disappointed because the book does not fill unexplored gaps in the historiography. He also praised her willingness to tackle the topic "knowing full well that it would expose her to vicious personal attacks from mostly nonacademic critics".<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Faruqui|first=Munis D.|date=2019-03-06|title=Aurangzeb: The Life and Legacy of India's Most Controversial King. By Audrey Truschke|url=https://academic.oup.com/jaar/article/87/1/299/5145726|journal=Journal of the American Academy of Religion|language=en|volume=87|issue=1|pages=299–303|doi=10.1093/jaarel/lfy040|issn=0002-7189}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Harikrishnan|first=Charmy|title=The ring changed Dushyanta from a lying cad to an honourable man: Wendy Doniger|work=The Economic Times|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/the-ring-changed-dushyanta-from-a-lying-cad-to-an-honourable-man-wendy-doniger/articleshow/60236623.cms?from=mdr|access-date=2021-07-10}}</ref>

Her third monograph ''The Language of History: Sanskrit Narratives of Indo-Muslim Rule'', was published in January 2021 by Columbia University Press.<ref name="Rutgers_resume" /> [[Sheldon Pollock]], [[Romila Thapar]], [[Cynthia Talbot]], and [[Richard M. Eaton]] blurbed it.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Reviews of The Language of History: Sanskrit Narratives of Indo-Muslim Rule|url=http://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-language-of-history/9780231197052|url-status=live|website=Columbia University Press}}</ref>

=== Edited Volumes ===
In May 2021, she co-edited "The Ramayana of Hamida Banu Begum, Queen Mother of Mughal India" which was published by Silvana Editoriale and [[Museum of Islamic Art, Doha]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Ramayana of Hamida Banu Begum, Queen Mother of Mughal India|url=https://en.silvanaeditoriale.it/libro/9788836645466|access-date=2021-05-20|website=en.silvanaeditoriale.it|language=en}}</ref>

== Targeting by the Hindu right ==
Truschke has become a target of the Hindu right,<ref name="vice" /> due to her historical works and her choice of language.

=== Ramayana Translation ===
In one of her tweets, she referred to an episode in Ramayana where Sita had admonished Rama as a "misogynist pig".<ref name="vice" /><ref name="newsminute" /> When questioned{{by whom?|date=July 2021}} on the particular choice of words, Truschke cited a critical translation of the Valmiki Ramayana by [[Robert P. Goldman]].<ref name="Vardan" /><ref name="Zutshi" /><ref name="Bhattacharya" /> Goldman however rejected that he ever used such language and deemed her act as "shocking and extremely inappropriate".<ref name="Vardan" /><ref name="Truschke" /> Truschke responded by stating that such disagreements are routine aspects of scholarly discourse and she had only offered a "loose translation" using contemporary language.<ref name="newsminute" /><ref name="Truschke" /> Goldman himself had used words like "pimp" in describing Sita's criticism of Rama and further, she was not endorsing Sita's criticism.<ref name="Truschke" /><ref name="reddy" />

Srinivas Reddy, a professor of religious studies at [[Brown University]] supported Truschke's critical interpretation of Rama's character and found subsequent attacks on her by the Hindu Right to be misogynistic in essence, and deplorable.<ref name="reddy" /> But, he also urged Truschke to adopt a less polarizing voice in her analysis and respect the text, if not revere.<ref name="reddy" /> [[Purushottam Agrawal]] found the tweet to be inflammatory, disrespectful and poor; it reduced the layered and complex character of Rama to a "caricature in a contemporary American comic strip," noting that "'Prakrita' [is] a common word, which essentially means 'ordinary' or 'uncivilised', or 'raw' as opposed to refined."<ref name="Agrawal" /> Cultural critic [[Pushpesh Pant]] found the translation to be poor, as well.<ref name="Pant" />

=== Student Petition ===
In 2021, a group of Hindu students of Rutgers University circulated a petition that called for Rutgers University to terminate Truschke's teaching assignments on Hinduism, condemn her prejudiced views, and create “a safe space for diaspora Hindus".<ref name="Scroll_Staff" /><ref name="Chung" /> Among the many alleged reasons were Truschke's claiming [[Bhagavad Gita]] to rationalize mass slaughter,{{refn|group=note|name="mass-slaughter"}} whitewashing a "Hindu genocide" by [[Aurangzeb]],{{refn|group=note|name="Hindu_genocide"|Referring to Truschke (2017), ''[[Aurangzeb: The Life and Legacy of India's Most Controversial King]]'', in which "Truschke uses extensive research to argue that his life and history do not match his current reputation."<ref name="Scroll_Staff"/>}} and linking Hindus with the [[2021 storming of the United States Capitol]].<ref name="Scroll_Staff" />{{refn|group=note|Truschke linked "Hindu Right folks" with the Capitol riots, not Hindus in general. Audrey Truschke on Twitter, jan. 7 2021: "I begin teaching History of South Asia II (Mughals to Modi) on Jan 19, one day before the inauguration. One of my opening images will be this [rioters and flags in front of the Capitol, including an Indian flag] from DC yesterday, with the opening question -- What do we need to know to explain why there is an Indian flag here?" In a reply: "There were a number of Hindu Right folks there, including some who have attacked me in the past."<ref>Audrey Truschke on Twitter, jan. 7 2021, [https://twitter.com/audreytruschke/status/1347234737035898881]</ref> See also Mohammed Zubair (9 jan. 2021), [https://scroll.in/article/983610/fact-check-were-the-men-who-waved-the-indian-flag-at-the-capitol-supporters-of-the-congress-party Fact check: Were the men who waved the Indian flag at the Capitol supporters of the Congress party?], Scoll.in: "It turns out that they are actually inclined towards the Bharatiya Janata Party."<br>Footage on video:<br>* "Indian flag spotted during US Capitol chaos";<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDWlMctDkVY Watch: Indian flag spotted during US Capitol chaos, Varun Gandhi & others react]</ref><br>* The Man Who Waved Indian Flag During Capitol Hill Violence;<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27Rs88zURVk Who Is Vinson Palathlingal, The Man Who Waved Indian Flag During Capitol Hill Violence?]</ref><br>* US Capitol Riot: Politics Over Indian Flag In Protest Sparks Twitter Fight.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV7AH5utK00 US Capitol Riot: Politics Over Indian Flag In Protest Sparks Twitter Fight].</ref>}} [[Hindu American Foundation]] joined the protests, as well.

The University, while defending academic freedom and calling for an immediate end to hate speech directed at her, said that it was initiating a dialogue with the Hindu community to understand their concerns.<ref name="Zutshi" /><ref name="Scroll_Staff" /> Days later, faculty members of Rutgers from varied faith backgrounds (including Hinduism) drafted an open letter which affirmed faith in Truschke's scholarship, rejected the levelled charges of "Hinduphobia", and applauded Rutgers' affirmation of academic liberty whilst upholding commitment to diversity; among the signatories who expressed solidarity were [[Romila Thapar]], [[Rajmohan Gandhi]], [[Sheldon Pollock]], [[Partha Chatterjee (scholar)|Partha Chatterjee]], [[Suketu Mehta]] and others.<ref name="wire.in" />

== Activism ==
In 2021, Truschke along with a group of other scholars formed a [[collective]] to combat increasing harassment of South Asian scholars by people affiliated with [[Hindutva]].<ref name="Scroll.in_SASAC"/><ref name="WP_academic_freedom"/> They launched the "Hindutva Harassment Field Manual," offering "resources" against "Hindu Rights assault."<ref name="Field_Manual" />

== Honors ==
In 2017, she was conferred with the John F. Richards Prize in South Asian History by [[American Historical Association]] for ''Culture of Encounters'' being the "most distinguished work of scholarship on South Asian history" in the previous year .<ref>{{Cite web|title=John F. Richards Prize Recipients {{!}} AHA|url=https://www.historians.org/awards-and-grants/past-recipients/john-f-richards-prize-recipients|access-date=2021-03-14|website=www.historians.org}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note|35em|refs=

{{refn|group=note|name="mass-slaughter"|Referring to Truscke (2020), ''The living Mahabharata'': "The Mahabharata claims to show dharma or righteous conduct – a guiding ideal of human life in Hindu thought – within the morass of the characters’ immoral behaviours. But the line between virtue and vice, dharma and adharma, is often muddled [...] Krishna’s discourse to Arjuna, known as the Bhagavadgita (‘Song of the Lord’), or Gita for short, is often read as a standalone work today, and revered by many across the world for its insights on morality and even nonviolence. In the 20th century, Mahatma Gandhi understood the Gita to support nonviolent resistance to colonial oppression. In the Mahabharata’s plot, however, the Bhagavadgita rationalises mass slaughter [...] The Pandavas win, but at a magnificent cost of human life. The epic compels readers to imagine that human cost by describing the battle in excruciating, bloody detail over tens of thousands of verses. The Pandavas kill multiple members of their own family along the way, including elders who ought to be revered. Their victory is further soured by a night raid in which, on the last night of the war, the few remaining Kauravas creep into the slumbering Pandava camp and kill nearly everyone, including all the victors’ sons."<ref name="Truschke_Aeon"/>}}
}}

==References==
{{reflist|refs=


<ref name="Agrawal">{{Cite web|last=Agrawal|first=Purushottam|last2=|first2=|last3=|first3=|last4=|first4=|title=Lost in translation|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/up-front/story/20180514-lord-rama-caricature-audrey-truschke-misogynist-pig-1226422-2018-05-04|url-status=live|access-date=2021-07-10|website=India Today|language=en}}</ref>


<ref name="Bhattacharya">{{Cite news|last=Bhattacharya|first=A. K.|date=2018-05-25|title=Was Rama's putting Sita through 'agni pariksha' a 'misogynistic' act?|work=Business Standard India|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/beyond-business/was-rama-s-putting-sita-through-agni-pariksha-a-misogynistic-act-118052501569_1.html|access-date=2021-07-10}}</ref>

<ref name="Chung">{{Cite web|last1=Chung|first1=Victoria|last2=Yeasky|first2=Joanne|title=Rutgers professor faces open letter accusing her of Hinduphobia|url=https://dailytargum.com//article/2021/03/rutgers-professor-faces-open-letter-accusing-her-of-hinduphobia|access-date=2021-03-17|website=The Daily Targum|language=en}}</ref>

<ref name="CV">{{Cite web|title=Audrey Truschke {{!}} Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - Academia.edu|url=https://rutgers.academia.edu/AudreyTruschke/CurriculumVitae|access-date=2021-03-14|website=rutgers.academia.edu}}</ref>

<ref name="Field_Manual">[https://www.hindutvaharassmentfieldmanual.org/ Hindutva Harassment Field Manual]</ref>


<ref name="Gandhi">{{Cite web|title=Gandhi on Truschke, 'Culture of Encounters: Sanskrit at the Mughal Court' {{!}} H-Asia {{!}} H-Net|url=https://networks.h-net.org/node/22055/reviews/1028510/gandhi-truschke-culture-encounters-sanskrit-mughal-court|access-date=2021-03-14|website=networks.h-net.org}}</ref>


<ref name="newsminute">{{Cite web|date=2018-08-08|title=Author Audrey Truschke’s Hyderabad event cancelled allegedly due to RSS, BJP protests|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/author-audrey-truschke-s-hyderabad-event-cancelled-allegedly-due-rss-bjp-protests-86195|access-date=2021-07-10|website=The News Minute|language=en}}</ref>


<ref name="Pant">{{Cite web|last=Pant|first=Pushpesh|date=2018-04-27|title=Ram to Aurangzeb: Audrey Truschke and the Art of Taking Liberties|url=https://www.thequint.com/voices/opinion/pushpesh-pant-on-audrey-truschke-tweet-ramayana-aurangzeb|access-date=2021-07-10|website=TheQuint|language=en}}</ref>


<ref name="reddy">{{Cite web|last=Reddy|first=Srinivas|title=What does Sita really say in Valmiki’s Ramayana?|url=https://caravanmagazine.in/literature/what-does-sita-really-say-in-valmikis-ramayana|access-date=2021-07-10|website=The Caravan|language=en}}</ref>

<ref name="Rutgers_resume">{{Cite web|title=Audrey Truschke|url=https://sasn.rutgers.edu/about-us/faculty-staff/audrey-truschke|access-date=2021-03-14|website=Rutgers SASN|language=en}}</ref>


<ref name="Scroll.in_SASAC">Priyali Prakash (10 july 2021), [https://scroll.in/article/999710/targeted-by-hate-audrey-truschke-on-why-she-helped-write-a-hindutva-harassment-field-manual ‘Targeted by hate’: Audrey Truschke on why she helped write a ‘Hindutva Harassment Field Manual’], Scroll.in</ref>

<ref name="Scroll_Staff">{{Cite web|author=Scroll Staff|title=Historian Audrey Truschke faces threats, Rutgers University extends support to her|url=https://scroll.in/latest/988994/abhor-vile-messages-and-threats-directed-at-audrey-truschke-says-rutgers-university|access-date=2021-03-14|website=Scroll.in|language=en-US}}</ref>


<ref name="Truschke">{{Cite web|last=Truschke|first=Audrey|title=The Many Criticisms of Rama and the 'Anger' of the Hindu Right|url=https://thewire.in/religion/the-many-criticisms-of-rama-and-the-anger-of-the-hindu-right|url-status=live|access-date=2021-03-17|website=The Wire}}</ref>

<ref name="Truschke_Aeon">Audrey Truschke (2020), [https://aeon.co/essays/the-indian-epic-mahabharata-imparts-a-dark-nuanced-moral-vision The living Mahabharata], Aeon</ref>


<ref name="Vadukut">{{Cite web|last=Vadukut|first=Sidin|date=2017-10-14|title=Audrey Truschke {{!}} The historian who engages|url=https://www.livemint.com/Sundayapp/GjK6sLgFpFbYNKWKCshf9N/Audrey-Truschke--The-historian-who-engages.html|access-date=2021-03-14|website=mint|language=en}}</ref>

<ref name="Vardan">{{Cite web|last=Anand|first=Vardhan|date=30 April 2018|title=The Unscholarly Dishonesty of Audrey Truschke|url=https://www.newslaundry.com/2018/04/30/the-unscholarly-dishonesty-of-audrey-truschke|url-status=live|access-date=2021-03-14|website=Newslaundry|quote=}}</ref>

<ref name="vice">{{Cite web|title=Audrey Truschke on Why She Won’t Quit Social Media, Despite Being Trolled by the Hindu Right - VICE|url=https://www.vice.com/amp/en/article/gy33wm/audrey-truschke-on-why-she-wont-quit-social-media-despite-being-trolled-by-the-hindu-right|access-date=2021-07-10|website=www.vice.com}}</ref>


<ref name="WP_academic_freedom">{{Cite news|title=Hindutva’s threat to academic freedom|language=en-US|work=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/hindutvas-threat-to-academic-freedom/2021/07/07/476a8128-df73-11eb-a27f-8b294930e95b_story.html|access-date=2021-07-10|issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

<ref name="wire.in">{{Cite web|title=Rutgers Faculty Extends 'Unreserved Support' to Professor Audrey Truschke|url=https://thewire.in/rights/audrey-truschke-rutgers-university-faculty|access-date=2021-03-18|website=The Wire}}</ref>


<ref name="Zutshi">Vikram Zutshi, [https://www.thehindu.com/society/history-and-culture/the-curious-case-of-controversial-historian-audrey-truschke/article34050315.ece The curious case of controversial historian Audrey Truschke], The Hindu, 12 March 2021.</ref>
}}

==External links==
* [https://www.hindutvaharassmentfieldmanual.org/ Hindutva Harassment Field Manual]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Truschke, Audrey}}
[[Category:Historians of South Asia]]
[[Category:Rutgers University faculty]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Hindutva harassment of scholars]]

Audrey Truschke - Revision history

CleanupBot: Bot: Deleting out-dated template

Shailendra: corrected section additionally and added references

CleanupBot: /* top */robot: remove incorrect protection templates

imported>TrangaBellam: Undid revision 1041703025 by WikiLinuz (talk)

>Joshua Jonathan: removed Category:Hindutva harassment; added Category:Hindutva harassment of scholars using HotCat