Audrey Truschke

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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 right-wing Hindu nationalists, who accuse her of having prejudiced views on Hinduism, and making offensive statements; scholars reject the charges.[1][2][3]

Education and career[edit]

Truschke received her bachelor's in religious studies from University of Chicago (2004).[4] 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.[4]

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).[4] In 2015, she joined Rutgers University as an assistant professor of South Asian History and in 2020, she was promoted to associate professorship.[4] She is also the current director of the Asian Studies program.[5]

Publications and reception[edit]

Monographs[edit]

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 courts from 1560 to 1650, and was reviewed in multiple journals.[5] Aria Fani, in the Journal of Iranian Studies found the work to be an invaluable contribution to South Asian studies.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12]

In 2017, she published Aurangzeb: The Life and Legacy of India's Most Controversial King about the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, with Stanford University Press.[13][14] 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".[15][16]

Her third monograph The Language of History: Sanskrit Narratives of Indo-Muslim Rule, was published in January 2021 by Columbia University Press.[5] Sheldon Pollock, Romila Thapar, Cynthia Talbot, and Richard M. Eaton blurbed it.[17]

Edited volumes[edit]

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.[18]

Targeting by the Hindu right[edit]

Truschke has become a target of the Hindu right,[19] due to her historical works and her choice of language.

Ramayana translation[edit]

In one of her tweets, she referred to an episode in Ramayana where Sita had admonished Rama as a "misogynist pig".[19][20] When questioned[by whom?] on the particular choice of words, Truschke cited a critical translation of the Valmiki Ramayana by Robert P. Goldman.[21] Goldman however rejected that he ever used such language and deemed her act as "shocking and extremely inappropriate".[22][23] Truschke responded by stating that such disagreements are routine aspects of scholarly discourse and she had only offered a "loose translation" using contemporary language.[20][23] According to Truschke, Goldman himself had used words like "pimp" in describing Sita's criticism of Rama and further, she was not endorsing Sita's criticism.[23][24]

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.[24] But, he also urged Truschke to adopt a less polarizing voice in her analysis and respect the text, if not revere.[24] Writer 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."[25] Cultural critic Pushpesh Pant found the translation to be poor, as well.[26]

Student petition[edit]

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".[1][2] Among the many alleged reasons were Truschke's claiming Bhagavad Gita to rationalize mass slaughter,[note 1] whitewashing a "Hindu genocide" by Aurangzeb,[note 2] and linking Hindus with the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol.[1][note 3] The Hindu American Foundation joined the protests, as well.[citation needed]

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.[31][1] 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 with those academics were Romila Thapar, Rajmohan Gandhi, Sheldon Pollock, Partha Chatterjee, Suketu Mehta and others.[3]

Litigation[edit]

In May 2021, Hindu American Foundation filed a libel suit on her and several other organizations.[32][33] A diverse group of intellectuals and academics — Akeel Bilgrami, Amitav Ghosh, Anita Desai, Cornel West, Martha Nussbaum, Nandini Sundar, Noam Chomsky, Romila Thapar, Sudipta Kaviraj, Sheldon Pollock, and Wendy Doniger among others — condemned HAF's tactics as SLAPP and a tool of pushing forward Hindutva.[33][34]

Activism[edit]

Truschke has been a prominent critic of Hindutva and its exclusionary ideology.[35]

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.[36][37] They launched the "Hindutva Harassment Field Manual," offering "resources" against "Hindu Rights assault."[38]

Honors[edit]

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 .[39]

Notes[edit]

  1. ↑ 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."[40]
  2. ↑ 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."[1]
  3. ↑ Truschke linked "Hindu Right folks" with the Capitol riots, not Hindus in general. Audrey Truschke on Twitter, 7 January 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."[27] See also Mohammed Zubair (9 Jan 2021), 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."
    Footage on video:
    * "Indian flag spotted during US Capitol chaos";[28]
    * The Man Who Waved Indian Flag During Capitol Hill Violence;[29]
    * US Capitol Riot: Politics Over Indian Flag In Protest Sparks Twitter Fight.[30]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Scroll Staff. "Historian Audrey Truschke faces threats, Rutgers University extends support to her". Scroll.in. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Chung, Victoria; Yeasky, Joanne. "Rutgers professor faces open letter accusing her of Hinduphobia". The Daily Targum. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Rutgers Faculty Extends 'Unreserved Support' to Professor Audrey Truschke". The Wire. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Audrey Truschke | Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - Academia.edu". rutgers.academia.edu. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Audrey Truschke". Rutgers SASN. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  6. ↑ Fani, Aria (4 March 2019). "Culture of Encounters: Sanskrit at the Mughal Court". Iranian Studies. 52 (1–2): 231–237. doi:10.1080/00210862.2019.1590819. ISSN 0021-0862. S2CID 167120313.
  7. ↑ Smith, Edmond (2017). "Review of 'Culture of Encounters: Sanskrit at the Mughal Court'". Reviews in History. doi:10.14296/RiH/2014/2122.
  8. ↑ "Gandhi on Truschke, 'Culture of Encounters: Sanskrit at the Mughal Court' | H-Asia | H-Net". networks.h-net.org. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  9. ↑ Anooshahr, Ali (3 August 2018). "Culture of Encounters: Sanskrit at the Mughal Court, written by Audrey Truschke". Journal of Early Modern History. 22 (4): 299–301. doi:10.1163/15700658-12342585-01. ISSN 1385-3783.
  10. ↑ Gommans, Jos (1 December 2017). "Audrey Truschke. Culture of Encounters: Sanskrit at the Mughal Court". The American Historical Review. 122 (5): 1584–1585. doi:10.1093/ahr/122.5.1584. ISSN 0002-8762.
  11. ↑ Keshavmurthy, Prashant (May 2017). "Audrey Truschke , Culture of Encounters: Sanskrit at the Mughal Court (New York: Columbia University Press, 2016). Pp. 384. $60.00 cloth. ISBN: 9780231173629". International Journal of Middle East Studies. 49 (2): 349–352. doi:10.1017/S0020743817000174. ISSN 0020-7438. S2CID 165087547.
  12. ↑ Talbot, Cynthia (February 2017). "Audrey Truschke : Culture of Encounters: Sanskrit at the Mughal Court. xiii, 362 pp. New York: Columbia University Press, 2016. £44. ISBN 978 0231173629". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. 80 (1): 167–168. doi:10.1017/S0041977X17000301. ISSN 0041-977X.
  13. ↑ "Aurangzeb | Reading Religion". readingreligion.org. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  14. ↑ Mondini, Sara (October 2018). "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". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. 81 (3): 555–557. doi:10.1017/S0041977X18001179. ISSN 0041-977X. S2CID 187354883.
  15. ↑ Faruqui, Munis D. (6 March 2019). "Aurangzeb: The Life and Legacy of India's Most Controversial King. By Audrey Truschke". Journal of the American Academy of Religion. 87 (1): 299–303. doi:10.1093/jaarel/lfy040. ISSN 0002-7189.
  16. ↑ Harikrishnan, Charmy. "The ring changed Dushyanta from a lying cad to an honourable man: Wendy Doniger". The Economic Times. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  17. ↑ "Reviews of The Language of History: Sanskrit Narratives of Indo-Muslim Rule". Columbia University Press.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ↑ "The Ramayana of Hamida Banu Begum, Queen Mother of Mughal India". en.silvanaeditoriale.it. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Audrey Truschke on Why She Won't Quit Social Media, Despite Being Trolled by the Hindu Right - VICE". www.vice.com. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Author Audrey Truschke's Hyderabad event cancelled allegedly due to RSS, BJP protests". The News Minute. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  21. ↑ Bhattacharya, A. K. (25 May 2018). "Was Rama's putting Sita through 'agni pariksha' a 'misogynistic' act?". Business Standard India. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  22. ↑ Anand, Vardhan (30 April 2018). "The Unscholarly Dishonesty of Audrey Truschke". Newslaundry. Retrieved 14 March 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Truschke, Audrey. "The Many Criticisms of Rama and the 'Anger' of the Hindu Right". The Wire. Retrieved 17 March 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 Reddy, Srinivas. "What does Sita really say in Valmiki's Ramayana?". The Caravan. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  25. ↑ Agrawal, Purushottam. "Lost in translation". India Today. Retrieved 10 July 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  26. ↑ Pant, Pushpesh (27 April 2018). "Ram to Aurangzeb: Audrey Truschke and the Art of Taking Liberties". TheQuint. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  27. ↑ Audrey Truschke on Twitter, 7 January 2021, [1]
  28. ↑ Watch: Indian flag spotted during US Capitol chaos, Varun Gandhi & others react
  29. ↑ Who Is Vinson Palathlingal, The Man Who Waved Indian Flag During Capitol Hill Violence?
  30. ↑ US Capitol Riot: Politics Over Indian Flag In Protest Sparks Twitter Fight.
  31. ↑ Vikram Zutshi, The curious case of controversial historian Audrey Truschke, The Hindu, 12 March 2021.
  32. ↑ "Hindu American Foundation files defamation suit against Hindu rights nonprofit". Religion News Service. 20 May 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 Sircar, Anisha. "Explained: The Hindu American Foundation's defamation case against Hindus for Human Rights founders". Scroll.in. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  34. ↑ "Over 300 Writers, Academics and Scholars Repudiate HAF's Attempt to Silence Hindus for Human Rights". Hindus for Human Rights. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  35. ↑ Vadukut, Sidin (14 October 2017). "Audrey Truschke | The historian who engages". mint. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  36. ↑ Priyali Prakash (10 July 2021), ‘Targeted by hate’: Audrey Truschke on why she helped write a ‘Hindutva Harassment Field Manual’, Scroll.in
  37. ↑ "Hindutva's threat to academic freedom". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  38. ↑ Hindutva Harassment Field Manual
  39. ↑ "John F. Richards Prize Recipients | AHA". www.historians.org. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  40. ↑ Audrey Truschke (2020), The living Mahabharata, Aeon

See also[edit]

External links[edit]

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