S. N. Balagangadhara: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Indian philosopher (Born 1952)}}
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|birth_date      = {{birth date and age|1952|01|3|df=y}}
|birth_date      = {{birth date and age|1952|01|3|df=y}}
|birth_place      = [[Bangalore]], [[Mysore State]], [[India]]
|birth_place      = [[Bangalore]], [[Mysore State]], [[India]]
|nationality =[[Belgians|Belgian]]
|school_tradition = Vergelijkende Cultuurwetenschap, Comparative Science of Cultures
|school_tradition = Vergelijkende Cultuurwetenschap, Comparative Science of Cultures
|main_interests  = [[Religious Studies]]<br>[[Cultural Studies]]<br>[[Postcolonial|Post-colonial Studies]]<br>[[Orientalism]]<br>Ethics<br>[[Political Philosophy]]<br>[[History of ideas]]<br>[[South Asian Studies]]
|main_interests  = [[Religious Studies]]<br>[[Cultural Studies]]<br>[[Postcolonial|Post-colonial Studies]]<br>[[Orientalism]]<br>Ethics<br>[[Political Philosophy]]<br>[[History of ideas]]<br>[[South Asian Studies]]
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== Career ==
== Career ==
Balagangadhara's research centers on the comparative study of Western culture against the background of Indian culture; the program has been named "Vergelijkende Cultuurwetenschap / Comparative Science of Cultures".<ref name="hindu2007" /> He analyses western culture and intellectual thought through its representations of other cultures, with a particular focus on the western representations of India and attempts to translate the knowledge embodied by the Indian traditions into western conceptual frameworks. <ref>{{cite web |url=http://gyaana.eu/ |title=Home Page Gyaana.eu Research Centre Vergelijkende Cultuurwetenschap |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2021 |website= |publisher=Research Centre Vergelijkende Cultuurwetenschap |access-date=27 Oct 2021 |quote=More generally, the current social sciences and humanities present themselves as knowledge about human beings and their societies and cultures. Still, its theorising mistakes the Western cultural experience for a universal human experience and reduces other cultures to (pale and erring) variants of the West. One of the challenges, then, is to understand Western culture by looking at its descriptions of other cultures. One of the next challenges is to understand the Indian culture. How has this culture understood human beings, societies and cultures?}}</ref>
Balagangadhara's research centers on the comparative study of Western culture against the background of Indian culture; the program has been named "Vergelijkende Cultuurwetenschap / Comparative Science of Cultures".<ref name="hindu2007" /> He analyses western culture and intellectual thought through its representations of other cultures, with a particular focus on the western representations of India and attempts to translate the knowledge embodied by the Indian traditions into western conceptual frameworks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gyaana.eu/ |title=Home Page Gyaana.eu Research Centre Vergelijkende Cultuurwetenschap |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2021 |website= |publisher=Research Centre Vergelijkende Cultuurwetenschap |access-date=27 Oct 2021 |quote=More generally, the current social sciences and humanities present themselves as knowledge about human beings and their societies and cultures. Still, its theorising mistakes the Western cultural experience for a universal human experience and reduces other cultures to (pale and erring) variants of the West. One of the challenges, then, is to understand Western culture by looking at its descriptions of other cultures. One of the next challenges is to understand the Indian culture. How has this culture understood human beings, societies and cultures?}}</ref>


=== Works and reception ===
=== Works and reception ===
His first monograph was ''[[The Heathen in his Blindness...]]'' (1994, BRILL).<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Almond|first=Philip C.|date=1996-07-01|title='The Heathen in his Blindness'?|url=https://doi.org/10.1177/092137409600800203|journal=Cultural Dynamics|language=en|volume=8|issue=2|pages=137–145|doi=10.1177/092137409600800203|issn=0921-3740}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Trompf|first=Garry|date=1998|title=Review of "The Heathen in his Blindness..." Asia, the West and the Dynamic of Religion. (Studies in the History of Religions 64)|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23555113|journal=Method & Theory in the Study of Religion|volume=10|issue=2|pages=227–231|issn=0943-3058}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Larson|first=Gerald|date=1997|title=Review of "The Heathen in His Blindness...": Asia, the West and the Dynamic of Religion|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1399914|journal=Philosophy East and West|volume=47|issue=3|pages=433–435|doi=10.2307/1399914|issn=0031-8221}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Sutton|first=Deborah Ruth|date=2018-07-03|title=‘So called caste’: S. N. Balagangadhara, the Ghent School and the Politics of grievance|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/09584935.2018.1498453|journal=Contemporary South Asia|volume=26|issue=3|pages=336–349|doi=10.1080/09584935.2018.1498453|issn=0958-4935}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|date=1996|title=Book Review Essays|url=https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1525/aa.1996.98.1.02a00180|journal=American Anthropologist|language=en|volume=98|issue=1|pages=162–163|doi=10.1525/aa.1996.98.1.02a00180|issn=1548-1433}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Kannan|first=Sushumna|date=2010-12-31|title=Meaningful encounter|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/Meaningful-encounter/article15613309.ece|access-date=2020-12-28|issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Rosemont|first=Henry|date=1996-07-01|title=How do You Learn to be Religious?: A Response to S.N. Balagangadhara|url=https://doi.org/10.1177/092137409600800205|journal=Cultural Dynamics|language=en|volume=8|issue=2|pages=161–169|doi=10.1177/092137409600800205|issn=0921-3740}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Shah|first=Prakash|date=2014|editor-last=Balagangadhara|editor-first=S. N.|title=Critiquing the Western Account of India Studies within a Comparative Science of Cultures|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24713739|journal=International Journal of Hindu Studies|volume=18|issue=1|pages=67–72|issn=1022-4556}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-07-20|title=Hindutva and historical revisionism|url=https://www.historyworkshop.org.uk/hindutva-and-historical-revisionism/|access-date=2020-12-28|website=History Workshop|language=en-US}}</ref>  
His first monograph was ''[[The Heathen in his Blindness...]]'' (1994, BRILL).<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Almond|first=Philip C.|date=1996-07-01|title='The Heathen in his Blindness'?|url=https://doi.org/10.1177/092137409600800203|journal=Cultural Dynamics|language=en|volume=8|issue=2|pages=137–145|doi=10.1177/092137409600800203|s2cid=144604350 |issn=0921-3740|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Trompf|first=Garry|date=1998|title=Review of "The Heathen in his Blindness..." Asia, the West and the Dynamic of Religion. (Studies in the History of Religions 64)|journal=Method & Theory in the Study of Religion|volume=10|issue=2|pages=227–231|doi=10.1163/157006898X00088 |jstor=23555113 |issn=0943-3058|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Larson|first=Gerald|date=1997|title=Review of "The Heathen in His Blindness...": Asia, the West and the Dynamic of Religion|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1399914|journal=Philosophy East and West|volume=47|issue=3|pages=433–435|doi=10.2307/1399914|jstor=1399914 |issn=0031-8221|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Sutton|first=Deborah Ruth|date=2018-07-03|title='So called caste': S. N. Balagangadhara, the Ghent School and the Politics of grievance|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/09584935.2018.1498453|journal=Contemporary South Asia|volume=26|issue=3|pages=336–349|doi=10.1080/09584935.2018.1498453|s2cid=150223475 |issn=0958-4935|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|date=1996|title=Book Review Essays|url=https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1525/aa.1996.98.1.02a00180|journal=American Anthropologist|language=en|volume=98|issue=1|pages=162–163|doi=10.1525/aa.1996.98.1.02a00180|issn=1548-1433|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Kannan|first=Sushumna|date=2010-12-31|title=Meaningful encounter|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/Meaningful-encounter/article15613309.ece|access-date=2020-12-28|issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Rosemont|first=Henry|date=1996-07-01|title=How do You Learn to be Religious?: A Response to S.N. Balagangadhara|url=https://doi.org/10.1177/092137409600800205|journal=Cultural Dynamics|language=en|volume=8|issue=2|pages=161–169|doi=10.1177/092137409600800205|s2cid=144013198 |issn=0921-3740|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Shah|first=Prakash|date=2014|editor-last=Balagangadhara|editor-first=S. N.|title=Critiquing the Western Account of India Studies within a Comparative Science of Cultures|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24713739|journal=International Journal of Hindu Studies|volume=18|issue=1|pages=67–72|doi=10.1007/s11407-014-9153-y |jstor=24713739 |s2cid=145784795 |issn=1022-4556}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-07-20|title=Hindutva and historical revisionism|url=https://www.historyworkshop.org.uk/hindutva-and-historical-revisionism/|access-date=2020-12-28|website=History Workshop|language=en-US}}</ref>  


His second major work, ''[[Reconceptualizing India Studies]]'', appeared in 2012 and argues that post-colonial studies and modern India studies are in need of a rejuvenation.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" />
His second major work, ''Reconceptualizing India Studies'', appeared in 2012 and argues that post-colonial studies and modern India studies are in need of a rejuvenation.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" />


== Honors ==
== Honors ==
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==Projects==
==Projects==


*The development of the [[Centre for the Study of Local Cultures]] (CSLC) at [[Kuvempu University]], India.<ref>{{cite web|title=A documentary about the Centre|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7Evbgc8mMM |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/Z7Evbgc8mMM |archive-date=2021-12-19 |url-status=live|accessdate=1 February 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
*The development of the [[Centre for the Study of Local Cultures]] (CSLC) at [[Kuvempu University]], India.<ref>{{cite web|title=A documentary about the Centre| website=[[YouTube]] |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7Evbgc8mMM |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/Z7Evbgc8mMM |archive-date=2021-12-19 |url-status=live|accessdate=1 February 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
*The Academy of Social Sciences and Humanities (ĀSHA).<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070819070939/http://www.hindu.com/edu/2007/08/13/stories/2007081350440300.htm The Hindu, Online edition of India's National Newspaper, Monday, Aug 13, 2007]</ref>
*The Academy of Social Sciences and Humanities (ĀSHA).<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070819070939/http://www.hindu.com/edu/2007/08/13/stories/2007081350440300.htm The Hindu, Online edition of India's National Newspaper, Monday, Aug 13, 2007]</ref>
*The five-year Rethinking Religion in India conference cluster.
*The five-year Rethinking Religion in India conference cluster.
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| page = 563
| page = 563
| title-link = The Heathen in his Blindness
| title-link = The Heathen in his Blindness
}} | (Second, revised edition, New Delhi, Manohar, 2005, {{ISBN|81-7304-608-5}}) | [https://books.google.com/books?id=ad7EaD7fOL8C&dq=9004099433&lr=&as_brr=0&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0 Preview at Google Books] | [http://worldcat.org/search?q=9789004099432&=Search&qt=owc_search Find in libraries near you]
}} | (Second, revised edition, New Delhi, Manohar, 2005, {{ISBN|81-7304-608-5}}) | [https://books.google.com/books?id=ad7EaD7fOL8C&q=9004099433 Preview at Google Books] | [http://worldcat.org/search?q=9789004099432&=Search&qt=owc_search Find in libraries near you]


*{{Cite book
*{{Cite book
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| publisher = Manohar
| publisher = Manohar
| isbn = 978-93-5098-061-3
| isbn = 978-93-5098-061-3
| last = Balagangadhara
| last1 = Balagangadhara
| first = S. N.
| first1 = S. N.
| last2 = Jhingran
| last2 = Jhingran
| first2 = Divya
| first2 = Divya
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===Articles===
===Articles===
*{{Cite journal| volume = 61| doi = 10.1163/15685276-12341303| issue = 1| pages = 33–52| last = Balagangadhara| first = S. N.| title = On the Dark Side of the "Secular": Is the Religious-Secular Distinction a Binary?| journal = Numen| year = 2014| url = https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/7124830| hdl = 1854/LU-7124830| hdl-access = free}}
*{{Cite journal| volume = 61| doi = 10.1163/15685276-12341303| issue = 1| pages = 33–52| last = Balagangadhara| first = S. N.| title = On the Dark Side of the "Secular": Is the Religious-Secular Distinction a Binary?| journal = Numen| year = 2014| url = https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/7124830| hdl = 1854/LU-7124830| hdl-access = free}}
*{{Cite journal| volume = 39| issue = 5| doi = 10.1177/0090591711413545| pages = 571–599| last = De Roover| first = Jakob |author2=Sarah Claerhout |author3=S. N. Balagangadhara| title = Liberal Political Theory and the Cultural Migration of Ideas: The Case of Secularism in India| journal = Political Theory| year = 2011| hdl = 1854/LU-1870111| url = https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/1870111| hdl-access = free}}
*{{Cite journal| volume = 39| issue = 5| doi = 10.1177/0090591711413545| pages = 571–599| last = De Roover| first = Jakob |author2=Sarah Claerhout |author3=S. N. Balagangadhara| title = Liberal Political Theory and the Cultural Migration of Ideas: The Case of Secularism in India| journal = Political Theory| year = 2011| hdl = 1854/LU-1870111| s2cid = 145178856| url = https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/1870111| hdl-access = free}}
*{{Cite journal| volume = 51| issue = 2| doi = 10.1086/660928| pages = 101–128| last = Gelders| first = Raf| author2=S. N. Balagangadhara| title = Rethinking Orientalism: Colonialism and the Study of Indian Traditions| journal = History of Religions| year = 2011| hdl = 1854/LU-946907| url = https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/946907/file/6828428.pdf| hdl-access = free}}
*{{Cite journal| volume = 51| issue = 2| doi = 10.1086/660928| pages = 101–128| last = Gelders| first = Raf| author2=S. N. Balagangadhara| title = Rethinking Orientalism: Colonialism and the Study of Indian Traditions| journal = History of Religions| year = 2011| hdl = 1854/LU-946907| s2cid = 161444251| url = https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/946907/file/6828428.pdf| hdl-access = free}}
*{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1111/j.1467-9760.2009.00336.x| volume = 18| issue = 1| pages = 1–15| last = Balagangadhara| first = S. N.| author2=Jakob De Roover| title = The Saint, the Criminal and the Terrorist: Towards a Hypothesis on Terrorism| journal = The Journal of Political Philosophy| year = 2010}}
*{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1111/j.1467-9760.2009.00336.x| volume = 18| issue = 1| pages = 1–15| last = Balagangadhara| first = S. N.| author2=Jakob De Roover| title = The Saint, the Criminal and the Terrorist: Towards a Hypothesis on Terrorism| journal = The Journal of Political Philosophy| year = 2010}}
*{{Cite journal| volume = 30| issue = 1| pages = 111–139| last = De Roover| first = Jakob|author2=S. N. Balagangadhara| title = Liberty, Tyranny and the Will of God: The Principle of Toleration in Early Modern Europe and Colonial India| journal = History of Political Thought
*{{Cite journal| volume = 30| issue = 1| pages = 111–139| last = De Roover| first = Jakob|author2=S. N. Balagangadhara| title = Liberty, Tyranny and the Will of God: The Principle of Toleration in Early Modern Europe and Colonial India| journal = History of Political Thought
| year = 2009}}
| year = 2009}}
*{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1080/13698010902752731| volume = 11| issue = 1| pages = 50–68| last = Balagangadhara| first = S. N.| author2=Marianne Keppens| title = Reconceptualizing the Postcolonial Project: Beyond the Strictures and Structures of Orientalism| journal = Interventions| year = 2009}}
*{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1080/13698010902752731| volume = 11| issue = 1| pages = 50–68| last = Balagangadhara| first = S. N.| author2=Marianne Keppens| title = Reconceptualizing the Postcolonial Project: Beyond the Strictures and Structures of Orientalism| journal = Interventions| year = 2009| s2cid = 142551230}}
*{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1177/0090591708317969| volume = 36| issue = 4| pages = 523–549| last = De Roover| first = Jakob| author2=S. N. Balagangadhara| title = John Locke, Christian Liberty, and the Predicament of Liberal Toleration| journal = Political Theory| year = 2008| url = https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/429418| hdl = 1854/LU-429418| hdl-access = free}}
*{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1177/0090591708317969| volume = 36| issue = 4| pages = 523–549| last = De Roover| first = Jakob| author2=S. N. Balagangadhara| title = John Locke, Christian Liberty, and the Predicament of Liberal Toleration| journal = Political Theory| year = 2008| url = https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/429418| hdl = 1854/LU-429418| s2cid = 145306818| hdl-access = free}}
*{{Cite journal| volume = XVI| issue = 1| pages = 57–63| last = Balagangadhara| first = S. N.| title = Comparing India and the West| journal = ASIANetwork Exchange| year = 2008| url = http://asianetwork.org/ane-archived-issues/2008-fall/anex2008-fall-balagangadhara.pdf}}
*{{Cite journal| volume = XVI| issue = 1| pages = 57–63| last = Balagangadhara| first = S. N.| title = Comparing India and the West| journal = ASIANetwork Exchange| year = 2008| url = http://asianetwork.org/ane-archived-issues/2008-fall/anex2008-fall-balagangadhara.pdf}}
*{{Cite journal| volume = 7| issue = 19| pages = 118–143| last = Balagangadhara| first = S. N.|author2=Sarah Claerhout| title = Are Dialogues Antidotes to Violence? Two Recent Examples from Hinduism Studies| journal = Journal for the Study of Religions and Ideologies
*{{Cite journal| volume = 7| issue = 19| pages = 118–143| last = Balagangadhara| first = S. N.| author2 = Sarah Claerhout| title = Are Dialogues Antidotes to Violence? Two Recent Examples from Hinduism Studies| journal = Journal for the Study of Religions and Ideologies| year = 2008| url = http://www.jsri.ro/new/?download=19_balagangadhara_claerhout.pdf| archive-date = 20 August 2009| access-date = 15 April 2008| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090820023251/http://www.jsri.ro/new/?download=19_balagangadhara_claerhout.pdf| url-status = dead}}
| year = 2008| url = http://www.jsri.ro/new/?download=19_balagangadhara_claerhout.pdf}}
*{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1111/j.1467-9760.2007.00268.x| volume = 15| issue = 1| pages = 67–92| last = Balagangadhara| first = S. N.| author2=Jakob De Roover| title = The Secular State and Religious Conflict: Liberal Neutrality and the Indian Case of Pluralism| journal = The Journal of Political Philosophy| year = 2007| url = https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/364874| hdl = 1854/LU-364874| hdl-access = free}}
*{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1111/j.1467-9760.2007.00268.x| volume = 15| issue = 1| pages = 67–92| last = Balagangadhara| first = S. N.| author2=Jakob De Roover| title = The Secular State and Religious Conflict: Liberal Neutrality and the Indian Case of Pluralism| journal = The Journal of Political Philosophy| year = 2007| url = https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/364874| hdl = 1854/LU-364874| hdl-access = free}}
*{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1093/jaarel/lfi112| volume = 73| issue = 4| pages = 987–1013| last = Balagangadhara| first = S. N.| title = How to Speak for the Indian Traditions| journal = Journal of the American Academy of Religion| year = 2005}}
*{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1093/jaarel/lfi112| volume = 73| issue = 4| pages = 987–1013| last = Balagangadhara| first = S. N.| title = How to Speak for the Indian Traditions| journal = Journal of the American Academy of Religion| year = 2005| doi-access = free}}
*{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1177/092137409801000202| volume = 10| issue = 2| pages = 101–23| last = Balagangadhara| first = S. N.| title = The Future of the Present: Thinking Through Orientalism| journal = Cultural Dynamics| year = 1998}}
*{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1177/092137409801000202| volume = 10| issue = 2| pages = 101–23| last = Balagangadhara| first = S. N.| title = The Future of the Present: Thinking Through Orientalism| journal = Cultural Dynamics| year = 1998| s2cid = 147360540}}
*{{Cite journal| volume = 3| issue = 3| pages = 281–316| last = Balagangadhara| first = S. N.| title = The Origin of Religion: Why is the Issue Dead?| journal = Cultural Dynamics| year = 1990| doi = 10.1177/092137409000300303}}
*{{Cite journal| volume = 3| issue = 3| pages = 281–316| last = Balagangadhara| first = S. N.| title = The Origin of Religion: Why is the Issue Dead?| journal = Cultural Dynamics| year = 1990| doi = 10.1177/092137409000300303| s2cid = 144204300}}
*{{Cite journal| volume = 3| issue = 4| pages = 387–405| last = Balagangadhara| first = S. N.| title = Understanding and Imagination: A Critical Notice of Halbfass and Inden| journal = Cultural Dynamics| year = 1990| doi = 10.1177/092137409000300403| hdl = 1854/LU-735390| hdl-access = free}}
*{{Cite journal| volume = 3| issue = 4| pages = 387–405| last = Balagangadhara| first = S. N.| title = Understanding and Imagination: A Critical Notice of Halbfass and Inden| journal = Cultural Dynamics| year = 1990| doi = 10.1177/092137409000300403| hdl = 1854/LU-735390| s2cid = 144760328| hdl-access = free}}
*{{Cite journal| volume = 1| issue = 1| pages = 98–128| last = Balagangadhara| first = S. N.| title = Comparative Anthropology and Moral Domains: An Essay on Selfless Morality and the Moral Self| journal = Cultural Dynamics| year = 1988| doi = 10.1177/092137408800100106| url = https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/735393| hdl = 1854/LU-735393| hdl-access = free}}
*{{Cite journal| volume = 1| issue = 1| pages = 98–128| last = Balagangadhara| first = S. N.| title = Comparative Anthropology and Moral Domains: An Essay on Selfless Morality and the Moral Self| journal = Cultural Dynamics| year = 1988| doi = 10.1177/092137408800100106| url = https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/735393| hdl = 1854/LU-735393| s2cid = 143167470| hdl-access = free}}
*{{Cite journal| issn = 0379-8402| volume = 40| issue = 2| pages = 77–107| last = Balagangadhara| first = S. N.| title = Comparative Anthropology and Action Science: An Essay on Knowing to Act and Acting to Know| journal = Philosophica| year = 1987| url = http://logica.ugent.be/philosophica/fulltexts/40-5.pdf}}
*{{Cite journal| issn = 0379-8402| volume = 40| issue = 2| pages = 77–107| last = Balagangadhara| first = S. N.| title = Comparative Anthropology and Action Science: An Essay on Knowing to Act and Acting to Know| journal = Philosophica| year = 1987| doi = 10.21825/philosophica.82484| s2cid = 247442293| url = http://logica.ugent.be/philosophica/fulltexts/40-5.pdf}}


==References==
==References==
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[[Category:1952 births]]
[[Category:1952 births]]
[[Category:Ghent University alumni]]
[[Category:Ghent University alumni]]
[[Category:Ghent University faculty]]
[[Category:Academic staff of Ghent University]]
[[Category:Belgian Hindus]]
[[Category:Belgian Hindus]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
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[[Category:21st-century Belgian philosophers]]
[[Category:21st-century Belgian philosophers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian philosophers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian philosophers]]
[[Category:Scholars from Bangalore]]
[[Category:Scholars from Bengaluru]]

Latest revision as of 09:34, 2 March 2026


S. N. Balagangadhara
Born (1952-01-03) 3 January 1952 (age 74)
Bangalore, Mysore State, India
Era20th-century philosophy
RegionWestern & Indian Philosophy
SchoolVergelijkende Cultuurwetenschap, Comparative Science of Cultures
Main interests
Religious Studies
Cultural Studies
Post-colonial Studies
Orientalism
Ethics
Political Philosophy
History of ideas
South Asian Studies
Notable ideas
Explanatory Intelligible Account,
Colonial Consciousness,
Indian Renaissance

S. N. Balagangadhara (aka Balu) is a professor emeritus of the Ghent University in Belgium, and was director of the India Platform and the Research Centre Vergelijkende Cutuurwetenschap (Comparative Science of Cultures).

Early life and education[edit | edit source]

Balagangadhara was a student of National College, Bangalore and moved to Belgium in 1977 to study philosophy at Ghent University, where he obtained his doctorate under the supervision of Etienne Vermeersch.[1] His doctoral thesis (1991) was entitled Comparative Science of Cultures and the Universality of Religion: An Essay on Worlds without Views and Views without the World.

Career[edit | edit source]

Balagangadhara's research centers on the comparative study of Western culture against the background of Indian culture; the program has been named "Vergelijkende Cultuurwetenschap / Comparative Science of Cultures".[1] He analyses western culture and intellectual thought through its representations of other cultures, with a particular focus on the western representations of India and attempts to translate the knowledge embodied by the Indian traditions into western conceptual frameworks.[2]

Works and reception[edit | edit source]

His first monograph was The Heathen in his Blindness... (1994, BRILL).[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]

His second major work, Reconceptualizing India Studies, appeared in 2012 and argues that post-colonial studies and modern India studies are in need of a rejuvenation.[10][6]

Honors[edit | edit source]

He has held the co-chair of the Hinduism Unit at the American Academy of Religion (AAR) from 2004 to 2007.[12] On 1 October 2013, University of Pardubice (Czech Republic) awarded him with its honorary doctorate for: (a) the outstanding development of the comparative science of cultures and religions, (b) the development of the collaborations between European and Indian universities, and (c) his contribution to the development of the Studies of religions at the University Faculty of Arts and Philosophy.[13][14][15][16]

Projects[edit | edit source]

Selected publications[edit | edit source]

Books[edit | edit source]

  • Cultures Differ Differently: Selected Essays of S.N. Balagangadhara. Edited by Jakob De Roover and Sarika Rao. London and New York: Routledge.
  • Balagangadhara, S. N.; Rao, Sarika (2021). What Does It Mean to be 'Indian'? Chennai: Indic Academy and Notion Press.
  • Balagangadhara, S. N. (1994). "The Heathen in his Blindness..." Asia, the West, and the Dynamic of Religion. Leiden, New York: E. J. Brill. p. 563. ISBN 978-90-04-09943-2. | (Second, revised edition, New Delhi, Manohar, 2005, ISBN 81-7304-608-5) | Preview at Google Books | Find in libraries near you
  • Balagangadhara, S. N.; Jhingran, Divya (2014). Do All Road Lead to Jerusalem?: The Making of Indian Religions. New Delhi: Manohar. ISBN 978-93-5098-061-3. | [2]

Book chapters[edit | edit source]

  • Balagangadhara, S. N. & Claerhout, Sarah (2014) "De antieken en het vroege christendom: een heidense visie uit India" in D. Praet & N. Grillaert (Eds.), Christendom en Filosofie. Gent: Academia Press, pp. 51–82
  • Balagangadhara, S. N. & De Roover, Jakob (2012) "The Dark Hour of Secularism: Hindu Fundamentalism and Colonial Liberalism in India" in R. Ghosh (Ed.), Making Sense of the Secular: Critical Perspectives from Europe to Asia. New York: Routledge, pp. 111–130
  • Balagangadhara, S. N. (2010) "Orientalism, Postcolonialism, and the 'Construction' of Religion" in Bloch, Keppens & Hegde (Eds.), Rethinking Religion in India: The Colonial Construction of Hinduism. New York: Routledge, pp. 135–163
  • Balagangadhara, S. N. (2009) "Spirituality in Management Theories: A Perspective from India" in S. Nandram & M. Borden (Eds.) Spirituality and Business: Exploring Possibilities for a New Management Paradigm. Heidelberg: Springer, pp. 45–60
  • Balagangadhara, S. N.; Bloch, Esther, De Roover, Jakob (2008), "Rethinking Colonialism and Colonial Consciousness: The Case of Modern India." in S. Raval (Ed.), Rethinking Forms of Knowledge in India. Delhi: Pencraft International, pp. 179–212.
  • Balagangadhara, S. N. (2007), "Foreword." In Ramaswamy, de Nicolas & Banerjee (Eds.), Invading the Sacred: An Analysis of Hinduism Studies in America . Delhi: Rupa & Co., pp. vii–xi.
  • Balagangadhara, S. N. (2007), "Balagangadhara on the Biblical Underpinnings of 'Secular' Social Sciences." In Ramaswamy, de Nicolas & Banerjee (Eds.), Invading the Sacred: An Analysis of Hinduism Studies in America . Delhi: Rupa & Co., pp. 123–31.
  • Balagangadhara, S. N. (2007), "India and her Traditions: A Reply to Jeffrey Kripal." In Ramaswamy, de Nicolas & Banerjee (Eds.), Invading the Sacred: An Analysis of Hinduism Studies in America . Delhi: Rupa & Co., pp. 429–447.
  • Balagangadhara, S. N. (2006), "Secularisation as the Harbinger of Religious Violence in India: Hybridisation, Hindutva and Post-coloniality." In Schirmer, Saalmann & Kessler (Eds.), Hybridising East and West, Tales Beyond Westernisation. Empirical Contributions to the Debates on Hybridity. Berlin: Lit Verlag, pp. 145–182.
  • Balagangadhara, S. N. (1991) "The Reality of the Elusive Man?" In Nispen & Tiemersma (Eds.), The Quest of Man: The Topicality of Philosophical Anthropology. Assen: von Gorcum, pp. 112–116
  • Balagangadhara, S. N. & Pinxten, R. (1989), "Comparative Anthropology and Rhetorics in Cultures". In Maier, Robert (Ed.), Norms in Argumentation. Dordrecht: Foris, pp. 195–211.

Articles[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Anantharaman, Sudha (9 December 2007). "In search of new idioms". The Hindu. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  2. ↑ "Home Page Gyaana.eu Research Centre Vergelijkende Cultuurwetenschap". Research Centre Vergelijkende Cultuurwetenschap. 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021. More generally, the current social sciences and humanities present themselves as knowledge about human beings and their societies and cultures. Still, its theorising mistakes the Western cultural experience for a universal human experience and reduces other cultures to (pale and erring) variants of the West. One of the challenges, then, is to understand Western culture by looking at its descriptions of other cultures. One of the next challenges is to understand the Indian culture. How has this culture understood human beings, societies and cultures?
  3. ↑ Almond, Philip C. (1 July 1996). "'The Heathen in his Blindness'?". Cultural Dynamics. 8 (2): 137–145. doi:10.1177/092137409600800203. ISSN 0921-3740. S2CID 144604350.
  4. ↑ Trompf, Garry (1998). "Review of "The Heathen in his Blindness..." Asia, the West and the Dynamic of Religion. (Studies in the History of Religions 64)". Method & Theory in the Study of Religion. 10 (2): 227–231. doi:10.1163/157006898X00088. ISSN 0943-3058. JSTOR 23555113.
  5. ↑ Larson, Gerald (1997). "Review of "The Heathen in His Blindness...": Asia, the West and the Dynamic of Religion". Philosophy East and West. 47 (3): 433–435. doi:10.2307/1399914. ISSN 0031-8221. JSTOR 1399914.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Sutton, Deborah Ruth (3 July 2018). "'So called caste': S. N. Balagangadhara, the Ghent School and the Politics of grievance". Contemporary South Asia. 26 (3): 336–349. doi:10.1080/09584935.2018.1498453. ISSN 0958-4935. S2CID 150223475.
  7. ↑ "Book Review Essays". American Anthropologist. 98 (1): 162–163. 1996. doi:10.1525/aa.1996.98.1.02a00180. ISSN 1548-1433.
  8. ↑ Kannan, Sushumna (31 December 2010). "Meaningful encounter". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  9. ↑ Rosemont, Henry (1 July 1996). "How do You Learn to be Religious?: A Response to S.N. Balagangadhara". Cultural Dynamics. 8 (2): 161–169. doi:10.1177/092137409600800205. ISSN 0921-3740. S2CID 144013198.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Shah, Prakash (2014). Balagangadhara, S. N. (ed.). "Critiquing the Western Account of India Studies within a Comparative Science of Cultures". International Journal of Hindu Studies. 18 (1): 67–72. doi:10.1007/s11407-014-9153-y. ISSN 1022-4556. JSTOR 24713739. S2CID 145784795.
  11. ↑ "Hindutva and historical revisionism". History Workshop. 20 July 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  12. ↑ [AAR News] (March 2007). "Religious Studies News" (PDF). 22 (2): 5. Retrieved 1 March 2014. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  13. ↑ Vorel, Petr. "LAUDATIO: Prof. Dr. S. N. Bálagangádhara Ráo" (PDF). University of Pardubice. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
  14. ↑ "Dokumenty Univerzity Pardubice". Retrieved 9 October 2013.
  15. ↑ "Aktuality". University of Pardubice. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
  16. ↑ "Photos of the Ceremony". University of Pardubice. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
  17. ↑ "A documentary about the Centre". YouTube. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  18. ↑ The Hindu, Online edition of India's National Newspaper, Monday, Aug 13, 2007

External links[edit | edit source]

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