Join Dr. Ankur Barua, University Senior Lecturer in Hindu Studies, the University of Cambridge, to discuss one of the most famous problems in the academic study of religion – the insider-outsider problem.
We are usually brought up as members of one specific socioreligious group, and we do not routinely jump in and out of these groups. We do not usually say things like: “Let me try out a bit of Christianity on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays; I will sample a few dimensions of Islam on Thursday; and for the rest of the week I will be a religious Hindu”. Let’s say we decide to study “other religions” at university. Is that even going to be possible? Someone might say – “unless you participate in a religious system, you can never understand it from the outside”. Now, let’s say that on one understanding of the concept of participation, you cannot participate in more than one religious system at the same time. Therefore, if you are a member of one religious tradition, it seems that you cannot study or understand another religious tradition. In this context, Dr. Barua will explore two key questions: “if you are yourself religious, what is involved in understanding another religious tradition?” and “if you are not yourself religious, could you possibly understand another religious tradition?”.
About the guest lecturer:
Dr. Ankur Barua is University Senior Lecturer in Hindu Studies at Cambridge University. After a B.Sc. in Physics from St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi, Ankur read Theology and Religious Studies at the Faculty of Divinity, Cambridge. His primary research interests are Vedāntic Hindu philosophical theology and Indo-Islamic styles of sociality.
He researches the conceptual constellations and the social structures of Hindu traditions, both in premodern contexts in South Asia and in colonial milieus where multiple ideas of Hindu identity were configured along transnational circuits between India, Britain, Europe, and USA. Some of these narratives are re-imagined in his work of historical fiction.
An integral dimension of Ankur’s research is the comparative philosophy of religion. He studies the theological and the socio-political aspects of Hindu–Christian engagements. In recent years, his research focus has moved to an exploration of the intersections between the idioms of bhakti, yoga, tawḥīd, and taṣawwuf on the multiply-stratified postcolonial landscapes of South Asia.
About this event
This event is jointly organized by Project Noon and the Department of Islamic Studies, Aligarh Muslim University, India.
Presided by: Prof. Abdul Hamid Fazili, Professor and Chairman, Department of Islamic Studies, Aligarh Muslim University.
Convener: Prof. Abdul Majid Khan, Director, Academics and Research Studies, Department of Islamic Studies, Aligarh Muslim University.
Co-convener: Dr. Saad Ismail, Director, Project Noon
Date: Saturday, 11 January, 2025 – 11:00 am to 1:00 pm
Event location: Conference Hall, Department of Islamic Studies, Aligarh Muslim University.
Project Noon 