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CAAS is organising a Leibniz Lecture by Prof. Beatrice Gruendler

CAAS is organising a Leibniz Lecture by Prof. Beatrice Gruendler

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CAAS is organising a Leibniz Lecture by Prof. Beatrice Gruendler
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Centre of Arabic and African Studies, SLL&CS, JNU

&

German Research Foundation


Cordially invite you to the Leibniz Lecture
By
Prof. Beatrice Gruendler
Freie Universität Berlin (Germany)

On
“Indian Wisdom in Kalīla wa-Dimna”

Venue: JNU Convention Centre, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi
Date: 13/02/2018, Tuesday, at 3pm

 

It will be inaugurated by the Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, Prof M. Jagadesh Kumar


Abstract:  Much Indian material was received into classical Arabic literature. The classic of Arabic-Islamic statecraft Kalīla wa-Dimna, translated and expanded by Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ (executed 756 CE), famously reuses parts from the two Indian works, the Mahābhārata and the Pañcatantra. Despite its later popularity, the work’s early textual history — before the first textual witnesses from the 13th century in Arabic and the medieval translations into Syriac, Greek, Persan, Hebrew, Castilian, and Latin — remains in the dark. But an indirect transmission of the Buddhist tale of “King Shādram and the Wise Bilād” (or Bilār), survives in a treatise on wisdom sayings, the Jāvīdān Khirad of Ibn Miskawayh (d. 1030 CE). However, this early witness to the original shape of the Arabic translation poses two problems; it selects only the (copious) wisdom sayings from the tale and presents these in different wording. I will compare the two versions in as far as they overlap to investigate how their divergencies may have occurred and to observe how the Arabic reception reengineered the Indian literature on practical wisdom (niti) to fit within the Arabic corpus of applied knowledge (adab).
 

A warm welcome to the modified and updated website of the Centre for East Asian Studies. The East Asian region has been at the forefront of several path-breaking changes since 1970s beginning with the redefining the development architecture with its State-led development model besides emerging as a major region in the global politics and a key hub of the sophisticated technologies. The Centre is one of the thirteen Centres of the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi that provides a holistic understanding of the region.

Initially, established as a Centre for Chinese and Japanese Studies, it subsequently grew to include Korean Studies as well. At present there are eight faculty members in the Centre. Several distinguished faculty who have now retired include the late Prof. Gargi Dutt, Prof. P.A.N. Murthy, Prof. G.P. Deshpande, Dr. Nranarayan Das, Prof. R.R. Krishnan and Prof. K.V. Kesavan. Besides, Dr. Madhu Bhalla served at the Centre in Chinese Studies Programme during 1994-2006. In addition, Ms. Kamlesh Jain and Dr. M. M. Kunju served the Centre as the Documentation Officers in Chinese and Japanese Studies respectively.

The academic curriculum covers both modern and contemporary facets of East Asia as each scholar specializes in an area of his/her interest in the region. The integrated course involves two semesters of classes at the M. Phil programme and a dissertation for the M. Phil and a thesis for Ph. D programme respectively. The central objective is to impart an interdisciplinary knowledge and understanding of history, foreign policy, government and politics, society and culture and political economy of the respective areas. Students can explore new and emerging themes such as East Asian regionalism, the evolving East Asian Community, the rise of China, resurgence of Japan and the prospects for reunification of the Korean peninsula. Additionally, the Centre lays great emphasis on the building of language skills. The background of scholars includes mostly from the social science disciplines; History, Political Science, Economics, Sociology, International Relations and language.

Several students of the centre have been recipients of prestigious research fellowships awarded by Japan Foundation, Mombusho (Ministry of Education, Government of Japan), Saburo Okita Memorial Fellowship, Nippon Foundation, Korea Foundation, Nehru Memorial Fellowship, and Fellowship from the Chinese and Taiwanese Governments. Besides, students from Japan receive fellowship from the Indian Council of Cultural Relations.