On Sensing the Sacred, we delve into the past and present of religion, politics, and society in South Asia, highlighting the latest academic research through conversations with leading scholars. A new podcast from the Center for Contemporary South Asia at the Watson Institute at Brown University, hosted by Finnian M.M. Gerety.
Sensing the Sacred
Claim This Podcastby FINNIAN M MOORE GERETY
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Podcast Overview
On Sensing the Sacred, we delve into the past and present of religion, politics, and society in South Asia, highlighting the latest academic research through conversations with leading scholars. A new podcast from the Center for Contemporary South Asia at the Watson Institute at Brown University, hosted by Finnian M.M. Gerety.
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3/19/2021
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Recent Episodes
December 9, 2022
Grafted Arts in Colonial India: Holly Shaffer
<p>Histories of art in India never fail to mention the greatest hits: Mughal miniatures, Chola bronzes, the ruins of Hampi. Yet most artworks—not just in India but around the world—are not celebrated masterpieces like these; rather, many are blends and montages, mixtures of materials and methods, styles that can’t be easily classified; made by artists who are anonymous or not widely known. Where’s the history of these arts? A new monograph by <a href="https://www.brown.edu/academics/art-history/people/holly-shaffer">Holly Shaffer</a>, Assistant Professor of Art and Architecture at Brown University, shines a light on this theme in colonial India: it’s called <a href="https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9781913107284/grafted-arts/">Grafted Arts: Art Making and Taking in the Struggle for Western India; 1760-1910</a> (Yale University Press 2022) This remarkable book looks at Maratha military rulers and British East India Company officials who used the arts to engage in diplomacy, wage war, compete for prestige, and generate devotion. Shaffer uses the idea of “graft” in the sense of grafting one plant to another, to produce something new; but also in the sense of cheating or corruption. She highlights the remarkable people and relationships that make up the grafted arts—unknown artists making works for hire, rulers using art for propaganda and prestige, patrons supporting and plundering artworks; officials making a profit through collecting—not to mention an unexpected cameo from William Blake! So we invite you to enter into a visual frame of mind and listen to this conversation.</p>
February 11, 2022
Alcohol in Early India: James McHugh
<p>When you think of alcoholic drinks in world history, you might think of French wine, Japanese sake, Russian vodka...But what about India? Although it’s not well represented in global histories of alcohol, in fact Indian history overflows with drinking cultures and a diverse array of alcoholic drinks. We learn about all this—and more—through the pioneering research of James McHugh, Professor of South Asian religions at the University of Southern California. His new book, An Unholy Brew: Alcohol in Indian History and Religions, is the first-ever academic monograph on alcohol in early India. But it’s not just about alcohol, because drinking in India was rarely an end in itself: whether in rowdy festivals, sleepy taverns, or sophisticated salons, drinking was a social activity; drinks were meant to be consumed with friends and snacks in a convivial atmosphere. By analyzing texts in Sanskrit, Pali, and Prakrit, McHugh offers insights on the technology of ancient brewing, theories of alcohol and intoxication, and how drink relates to other substances: including betel nut, cannabis, and tobacco. In this interview, he gives us a small taste of this rich scholarship. So pour yourself a glass and settle in…</p> <p>SHOW NOTES</p> <p>James McHugh’s book, <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/an-unholy-brew-9780199375943?cc=us&lang=en&">An Unholy Brew: Alcohol in Indian History and Religions</a>, was published by Oxford University Press in late 2021. Also highly recommended is his previous book, <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/sandalwood-and-carrion-9780199916306?lang=en&cc=us">Sandalwood and Carrion: Smell in Indian Religion and Culture</a> (OUP 2012). Find out more about this podcast and the Center for Contemporary South Asia at <a href="https://watson.brown.edu/southasia/news/podcasts">our show page</a>. We’re eager for your feedback and support: please subscribe and then rate the show on your favorite platforms so that others can find us. You can email us at <a href="mailto:southasia@brown.edu">southasia@brown.edu</a>.</p>
November 17, 2021
Interpreting the Pew Report on Religion in India: Neha Sahgal
<p>Would it surprise you to learn that most people in contemporary India believe in god? That Śiva is the most popular Hindu deity? That while half of Indians meditate weekly, only a third have ever practiced yoga? These are just a few of the findings of the Pew Research Center’s <a href="https://www.pewforum.org/2021/06/29/religion-in-india-tolerance-and-segregation/">report on religious life in India</a>. Published this past summer, the Pew report is a major milestone in the study of South Asian religions. It represents the most extensive publicly available data ever collected on religion in Indian society—including the intersection with politics, caste, and identity. One of the report’s big themes comes through in the title: “Religion in India: Tolerance and Segregation.” Even as most Indians value religious diversity and share beliefs and practices across faiths, they nevertheless prefer to keep their communities separate—and they don’t always feel they have much in common with each other. To learn more, I sat down with <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/neha-sahgal/">Neha Sahgal</a>, the report’s lead author and a specialist in international polling on religion. Sahgal is associate director of research at the <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/">Pew Research Center</a>, a nonpartisan think tank that studies global trends and attitudes. In our conversation, Neha Sahgal made a compelling case for studying religion using survey research—and explained how quantitative data can shed light on even the most controversial aspects of Indian religions.</p> <p>To find out more about the Pew report, visit: <a href="https://www.pewforum.org/2021/06/29/religion-in-india-tolerance-and-segregation/">https://www.pewforum.org/2021/06/29/religion-in-india-tolerance-and-segregation/</a></p>
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