03-07-2008, 04:49 AM
HINDU AMERICAN FOUNDATION
LECTURE SERIES
The Hindu American Foundation invites you to attend a lecture and discussion with Professor S. N. Balagangadhara
Date: Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Time: 3pm-5pm.
Location: Altos Room of Foothill College, 12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos, CA, 94022
The forum is small and will be able to engage in discussions with the Professor Bala.
Biography:
Over the past twenty years, Professor Balagangadhara (Balu) has developed a research program for the study of the cultural differences between Asia and the West. His âThe Heathen in his Blindness...â: Asia, the West and the Dynamic of Religion (Leiden, 1994) was hailed as one of the major contributions to the debate on the concept of religion and to the study of the western culture through its understanding of India. His current research addresses issues such as the theological nature of western political and ethical thought, the impact of colonialism on the Indian intelligentsia and the decolonization of the human sciences. He is a Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Research Center Vergelijkende Cultuurvetenschap at Ghent University in Belgium.
Here is some background information about the focus of his lecture:
How to Compare Cultures? The Case of India and the West
The comparative study of cultures and cultural differences is beoming more and more important at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Yet, we do not really know how to go about âcomparing cultures.â We can compare any two objects and list their commonalities and differences, but what have we learned by doing so? What have we really learned by stating that âmany Indians believe in reincarnation, while most westerners do notâ; âIndians are more family-oriented, while westerners are more individualisticâ; âIndia has a caste system, while the West is more egalitarianâ;....? I will argue that comparison can be approached differently and more productively. Taking India and the West, I will suggest that (a) in order to understand the Indian culture, we first have to study the western culture and (b) in order to understand the western culture, we have to examine the way in which the West has seen other cultures like India.
RSVP: Arjun Bhagat 650-465-1023
The Hindu American Foundation is a 501©(3), non-profit, non-partisan organization promoting the Hindu and American ideals of understanding, tolerance and pluralism. Contact HAF at 1-301-770-7835 or on the web at www.HAFsite.org.
www.HAFsite.org
LECTURE SERIES
The Hindu American Foundation invites you to attend a lecture and discussion with Professor S. N. Balagangadhara
Date: Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Time: 3pm-5pm.
Location: Altos Room of Foothill College, 12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos, CA, 94022
The forum is small and will be able to engage in discussions with the Professor Bala.
Biography:
Over the past twenty years, Professor Balagangadhara (Balu) has developed a research program for the study of the cultural differences between Asia and the West. His âThe Heathen in his Blindness...â: Asia, the West and the Dynamic of Religion (Leiden, 1994) was hailed as one of the major contributions to the debate on the concept of religion and to the study of the western culture through its understanding of India. His current research addresses issues such as the theological nature of western political and ethical thought, the impact of colonialism on the Indian intelligentsia and the decolonization of the human sciences. He is a Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Research Center Vergelijkende Cultuurvetenschap at Ghent University in Belgium.
Here is some background information about the focus of his lecture:
How to Compare Cultures? The Case of India and the West
The comparative study of cultures and cultural differences is beoming more and more important at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Yet, we do not really know how to go about âcomparing cultures.â We can compare any two objects and list their commonalities and differences, but what have we learned by doing so? What have we really learned by stating that âmany Indians believe in reincarnation, while most westerners do notâ; âIndians are more family-oriented, while westerners are more individualisticâ; âIndia has a caste system, while the West is more egalitarianâ;....? I will argue that comparison can be approached differently and more productively. Taking India and the West, I will suggest that (a) in order to understand the Indian culture, we first have to study the western culture and (b) in order to understand the western culture, we have to examine the way in which the West has seen other cultures like India.
RSVP: Arjun Bhagat 650-465-1023
The Hindu American Foundation is a 501©(3), non-profit, non-partisan organization promoting the Hindu and American ideals of understanding, tolerance and pluralism. Contact HAF at 1-301-770-7835 or on the web at www.HAFsite.org.
www.HAFsite.org