The annual online lecture series organised by the Ghent Centre for South Asian Studies (GCSAS) is dedicated this year to the theme “Ascetiscapes: Studies at the Intersection of Asceticism and Space”.
Asceticism, as a set of psycho-physical practices aimed at redefining, transforming, perfecting or obliterating the self, stretches beyond the purely bodily and spiritual dimensions of the practitioner. Both on the individual and the community level, it influences and is constantly influenced by physical and non-physical space.
This online lecture series invites reflection on the various ways in which ascetic practitioners in South Asia have engaged with abstract, physical, social and embodied space. We will explore different traditions from various disciplinary angles, collectively interrogating the relationship between ascetic paths and the transformation of conceptual and material space.
All our presenters can be followed online (registration required); three lectures will also be available on campus.
Everyone is warmly invited to join: follow the links in the programme below to register!
PROGRAMME & REGISTRATION
Thursday 27 February, from 4pm CET
Akshara Ravishankar [Ghent University]
Even the Wise Grieve: Narrative and Renunciation in the late Advaita Bhagavad Gītā
Hybrid – Camelot Blandijn 3.30
Registration: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/030ec090-87e7-4880-837d-0f248e5de73f@d7811cde-ecef-496c-8f91-a1786241b99c
Thursday 13 March, from 4pm CET
Justin Henry [University of South Florida]
Echoes of Sri Lanka’s Lion Rock: Ascetic and Erotic Buddhist Poetry from the Sigiri Graffiti
Hybrid – Camelot Blandijn 3.30
Registration: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/78fae3b8-2c77-42ed-9d9c-176eea720d19@d7811cde-ecef-496c-8f91-a1786241b99c
Thursday 27 March, from 4pm CET
Amen Jaffer [Lahore University of Management Sciences]
Rethinking the location of Spirituality: Social Space in Pakistan’s Sufi Shrines
Online Only
Registration: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/bd94b34f-f91b-4861-9838-41a3f89aa16c@d7811cde-ecef-496c-8f91-a1786241b99c
Thursday 17 April, from 4pm CET
Christoph Emmrich [University of Toronto]
A Place for Jainism. Jīvapantu T.S. Śrīpāl, Camaṇar Hill, and the Creation of the Contemporary Tamil Jain Landscape
Online Only
Registration: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/cc74bded-cc09-4976-b967-5de01128bedd@d7811cde-ecef-496c-8f91-a1786241b99c
Thursday 24 April, from 4pm CET
Heleen De Jonckheere [SOAS]
Cemented Gods and Butterfly Gardens: Wondrous Re-use of Jain Temple Sites in Madhya Pradesh
Hybrid – Simon Stevin, Plateau VGZ 0.1
Registration: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/79d1321c-38f9-4038-a1d1-a3571c737c53@d7811cde-ecef-496c-8f91-a1786241b99c
Thursday 8 May, from 4pm CET
Daniela Bevilacqua [University Institute Lisbon, ISCTE-IUL]
Tapobhūmi: Ascetic Landscapes and the Transformation of Self and Space in India
Online Only
Registration: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/705c66d5-b358-49ce-a773-ea95ff2ceaee@d7811cde-ecef-496c-8f91-a1786241b99c