User:Kalikasruta/lawrenceABabb

Lawrence Alan Babb is a Willem Schupf Professor of Asian Languages & Civilizations and an Emeritus Professor of Anthropology, Amherst College, Massachusetts. He specializes in Indian civilization, and Asian Religion and Society. He is an author of numerous books on rituals, caste system, myths, beliefs and  ritual practices in South Asian society and religions.

Early life and academic career
In 1963,Lawrence Alan Babb received a baccalaureate with distinction at the University of Michigan and graduated in Anthropology with honors. He went on to complete his MA in anthropology at the University of Rochester in June 1965 and passed his Ph.D. qualifying examination in spring, 1965. He attended The University of Wisconsin for Hindi language studies in Summer (1965) and The University of Chicago for Hindi language and South Asia area studies (1965-1966).

In 1969 he was awarded a PhD by the University of Rochester after his  'fieldwork' based research in Raipur District, Madhya Pradesh, India. His thesis was titled “Systemic Aspects of Chhattisgarhi Religion: An Analysis of a Regional Variant of Popular Hinduism”

From 1968 to 1969 he worked as a teaching Intern at the South Asia Language and Area Center, University of Chicago. In 1976 he was a visiting part time faculty member at the Williams College. His tenure at the Amherst College began as an assistant Professor of Anthropology in 1968.He was promoted to associate Professor in 1975 and to full Professor in 1980.He has remained at the college for more than 50 years now, serving various Committees. He served three times as the Chairperson of the Asian Studies Program (later Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations) and was the Chairperson, Department of Anthropology-Sociology.

Alan visited Jaipur in India during 1990 as a Fulbright Senior Research Fellow. He has numerous research papers to his credit. His research encompasses different facets of Jainism and Hinduism including society, caste, religion, local politics, temples, and rituals among others.

Honours

·        1963-1965   National Defense Education Act Fellowship

·        1965-1968   Foreign Area Fellowship

·        1973-1974   Amherst College Trustee Faculty Fellowship (for fieldwork in Singapore)

·        1978-1979   American Institute of Indian Studies Senior Research Fellowship (declined). Indo-American Fellowship (supported research on modern religious movements in               Delhi)

·        l986     NEH Summer Stipend (for research on Jainism in Ahmedabad)

·        1990-1991   Fulbright Senior Research Fellowship (research on Jain community in Jaipur)

·        1995    Amherst Faculty Fellowship (for preliminary work on merchant caste histories and clan goddesses in Rajasthan)

·        1996-1997   American Institute of Indian Studies Senior Research Fellowship (research on origin myths, group identity, and clan goddesses among trading castes of Rajasthan.

·        1996-1998 Getty Grant Program in support of collaborative research on Western Indian temples with Michael Meister and John Cort.

·        2000    Amherst Faculty Fellowship (for research on legal prohibition of animal sacrifice in Rajasthan).

·        2002    Amherst Faculty Fellowship (for preliminary research on globalization and Jaipur’s gemstone trade)

·        2005 Senior Research Fellowship (NEH, administered by American Institute of Indian Studies) to support research on Jaipur’s gemstone industry

Selected bibliography
Marriage and Malevolence: The Uses of Sexual Opposition in a Hindu Pantheon. Ethnology 9 (l970): 137-148

The Food of the Gods in Chhattisgarh: Some Structural Features of Hindu Ritual. Southwestern Journal of Anthropology 26 (1970): 287-304.

Review of David G. Mandelbaum, Society in India. In Contemporary Sociology, Vol. 1, No. 4 (July, 1972), pp417-18

The Satnamis--Political Involvement of a Religious Movement. In J. Michael Mahar, ed., The Untouchables in Contemporary India. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.

Heat and Control in Chhattisgarhi Ritual. The Eastern Anthropologist ,1973,26(1):11-28

Walking on Flowers in Singapore. Working Papers, Dept. of Sociology, University of Singapore, No. 27,1974

Review of Harish Doshi, Traditional Neighborhood in a Modern City. Sociology: Reviews of New Books, Vol. 2, No. 2: 36-7 (1974)

Walking on Flowers in Singapore (condensed reprint of working paper, University of Singapore). Ekistics, May 1975: 332-338.

Hindu Mediumship in Singapore. Southeast Asian Journal of Social Science, 2: 29-43(1975)

The Divine Hierarchy: Popular Hinduism in Central India. Columbia University Press(1975)

Review of Leo Jakobson and Ved Prakash, eds., Metropolitan Growth: Public Policy for South and Southeast Asia. Sociology: Reviews of New Books, Vol. 2, No. 5: 105 (1975)

Review of Mirpal Singh Soodan, Aging in India. Sociology: Reviews of New Books, Vol. 2, No. 10: 218(1975)

Review of K. Subramaniam, Brahman Priest of Tamil Nadu. Sociology: Reviews of New Books, Vol. 3, No. 2: 32 (1975)

Patterns of Hinduism. In Riaz Hassan, ed., Singapore: Society in Transition. Kuala Lampur: Oxford University Press(1976)

Thaipusam in Singapore:Religious Individualism in a Hierarchical Culture. Working Papers, Department of Sociology, University of Singapore, No. 49 (1976)

Tamil translation of "Walking on Flowers" in Tamil Paravai, 1977, University of Singapore, Tamil Language Society. (trans. A Saraswathy)1977

(With E. W. Bruss, H. Hawkins, W. M. Hexter, M. A. Peterson, J. Upton)  Education at Amherst Reconsidered: The Liberal Studies Program. Amherst: Amherst College Press(1978)

Thaipusam in Singapore: Religious Individualism in a Hierarchical Culture. In Peter S. J. Chen and Hans-Dieter Evers, eds., Studies in ASEAN Sociology. Singapore: Chopman. Reprint of 1976 Working Paper)1978

Interdisciplinary Studies: Proceed with Caution. Independent School, 38 (May 1979): 23-27.

Review of Joseph Troisi, Tribal Religion: Religious Beliefs and Practices among the Santals. Journal of Asian Studies, Vol 40, No. 1: 185-186 (1980)

Glancing: Visual Interaction in Hinduism. Journal of Anthropological Research, 37: 387-401(1981)

Review of Akos Ostor, The Play of the Gods: Ideology, Structure, and Time in the Festivals of a Bengali Town. Journal of Asian Studies, Vol 41, No. 1: 183-185 (1981)

Amnesia and Remembrance in a Hindu Theory of History. Asian Folklore Studies, 41: 49-66(1982)

Review of Arjun Appadurai, Worship and Conflict under Colonial Rule: A South Indian Case. Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 42, No. 1: 177-179 (1982)

Destiny and Responsibility: Karma in Popular Hinduism. In C. F. Keyes and E. V. Daniel, eds., Karma: An Anthropological Inquiry. Berkeley: University of California Press, 163-181 (1983)

The Physiology of Redemption. History of Religions, Vol 22, No. 4: 298-312(1983)

Sathya Sai Baba's Magic. Anthropological Quarterly, Vol 56, No. 3: 116-124 (1983)

Review of John Stratton Hawley, ed., The Divine Consort: Rådhå and the Goddesses of India. Amherst, Vol. 36, No. 1 (Summer 1983): 68-69. (1983)

Review of Marvin Harris, Cultural Materialism. The Journal of Relgious Studies, Vol. 11, Nos. 1-2: 122-24. (1983

Review of Diana Eck, Banaras: City of Light. Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. XLIII, No. 1:180-8l (1983)

Indigenous Feminism in a Modern Hindu Sect. Signs, Vol 9, No. 3: 399-416(1984)

Redemptive Encounters: Three Modern Styles in the Hindu Tradition. Berekeley: University of California Press.(1986)

The Puzzle of Religious Modernity. In James R. Roach, ed., India 2000: The Next Fifteen Years. Riverdale: Riverdale Co.(1986)

Review of J. P. Waghorne and N. Cutler, eds., Gods of Flesh, Gods of Stone: The Embodiment of Divinity in India. Journal of Asian Studies, Vol XLV, No. 3: 642-43.(1986)

Sathya Sai Baba's Saintly Play. In J. S. Hawley, ed., Saints and Virtues. Berkeley: University of California Press(1987)

The Case of the Sacred Cow. The Connecticut Scholar, 9 (1987).

Giving and Giving Up: The Eightfold Worship among ©vetåmbar Mýrtipýjak Jains. Journal of Anthropological Research, 44: 67-86.(1988)

Indigenous Feminism. Reprint of 1984 Signs article in Rehana Ghadially, ed., Women in Indian Society. New Delhi: Sage.(1984)

Living Masters. (Review of D. Gold, The Lord as Guru and Comprehending the Guru) History of Religions (August 1989).

Review of T. N. Madan, Non-Renunciation: Themes and Interpretations of Hindu Culture. The Indian Economic and Social History Review, 26: 488-89(1989)

New Media and Religious Change. Items (Social Science Research Council) Vol. 44, No. 4: 72-6(1990)

The Divine Hierarchy. Paperback edition. Columbia University Press.(1990)

Social Science Inside Out. Contributions to Indian Sociology, Vol. 24, No. 2(1990)

The Meaning of Puja. Mahåvîr Jayantî Smårikå. (Råjasthån Jain Sabhå), 1991.

Redemptive Encounters. Paperback edition. University of California Press.(1991)

Sathya Sai Baba's Miracles. In T. N. Madan, ed. Religion in India. Delhi: Oxford University Press (1992)

Religion in a State Society: India. In. Myron L. Cohen, ed., Asia in the Core Curriculum: Case Studies in the Social Sciences. Armonk (New York): M. E. Sharpe.(1992)

Preface, Bhagvan Karu¿å Sindho (Pt Hargovind Dås Se²h Viracit ©rî Mahåvîr Prårthnå ©atak), translation and commentary by Surendra Botharå. Jaipur: Ku¹al Sansthån.(1992)

Monks and Miracles: Religious Symbols and Images of Origin among Osvål Jains. Journal of Asian Studies, Feb., 1993.

Review of The New Cold War? Religious Nationalism Confronts the Secular State by Mark Juergensmeyer(1993)  Journal of Asian Studies 52 (4).

The Great Choice: Worldly Values in a Jain Ritual Culture," History of Religions 34: 15-38.(1994)

Review of The Å¹rama System: The History and Hermeneutics of a Religious Institution, by Patrick Olivelle. History of Religions 34: 292-94.(1995)

Media and the Transformation of Religion in South Asia. Introduction and co-edited with Susan S. Wadley. University of Pennsylvania Press.(1995)

The HarperCollins Dictionary of Religion. Entries on Brahmå Kumårî, Rådhåsoåmî Satsang, Satya Såî Båbå. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.(1995)

Review of Scripture and Community: Collected Essays on the Jains. Edited by John E. Cort. Journal of Asian Studies 54 (No. 4): 1126--28.(1995)

Absent Lord: Ascetics and Kings in a Jain Ritual Culture. University of California Press.(1996)

Hinduism. Article in Alan Barnard and Jonathan Spencer, eds., Encyclopedia of Social and Cultural Anthropology. London and New York: Routledge.(1996)

The Study of Jain Traditions. In Mahåvîr Jayantî Smårikå, 1997, pp 5/16-21. Råjasthån Jain Sabhå, Jaypur.(1997)

Response to Special Issue on Historiography of Civilizations. Journal of Indian Council of Philosophical Research, Vol. XIV, No. 3 (May-August 1997), pp. 141-49.(1997)

Religious Studies: Modern Hinduism/Jainism. In India’s Worlds and U.S. Scholars, 1947-1997. Eds. Joseph W. Elder, Edward C. Dimock, Jr., Ainslie T. Embree. New Delhi, Manohar, pp. 445-456.(1998)

Ritual Culture and the Distinctiveness of Jainism. In John E. Cort, ed., Open Boundaries: Jain Communities and Cultures in Indian History. Albany: SUNY Press, pp. 139-162.(1998)

Indian Edition (corrected and with new Foreword) of Absent Lord. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.(1998)

Rejecting Violence: Sacrifice and the Social Identity of Trading Communities. Contributions to Indian Sociology (n.s.) 32,    2 (1998).

Review of Indian Society through Personal Writings and Village, Caste, Gender and Method by M. N. Srinivas. In Journal of Asian Studies 58, 4 (Novermber 1999), 1185-86.(1999)

Mirrored Valor: On the Social Identity of Rajasthani Traders. International Journal of Hindu Studies, 3, 1 (April 1999), 1-25

Reprint Edition (with new Preface) of Redemptive Encounters: Three Modern Styles in the Hindu Tradition (1986). Waveland. (1999)

Time and Temples: On Social and Metrical Antiquity. In Michael Meister, ed., Ethnography and Personhood: Notes from the Field, pp. 193-222. Jaipur and New Delhi: Rawat Publications.(1999)

Review of Sarah Caldwell, ''Oh Terrifying Mother: Sexuality, Violence and Worship of the Goddess Kå¶i.   In International Journal of Hindu Studies'', 4, 2 (August 2000), 203-4.

Review of Saurabh Dube, Untouchable Pasts: Religion, Identity, and       Power among a Central Indian Community, 1780-1950. In Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 7, 1 (March 2001), 194-195.

Review of Malory Nye, Multiculturalism and minority relgions in    Britain: Krishna consciousness, religious freedom, and the politics of location.  In Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute. Vol. 8, No. 1 (March 2002), 172-3.

Multiple Histories Culture and Society in the Study of Rajasthan. Co-          edited with Varsha Joshi and Michael Meister. Jaipur and Delhi: Rawat.(2002)

“Violence and the Construction of Trading-Caste Identity.”  In Babb, Joshi and Meister, Multiple Histories, pp. 15-38.(2002)

“Para¹uråm’s Sacrifice: A Myth and Its Local Travels.”  In V. Joshi, ed. Culture, Communities and Change, pp. 133-53  Jaipur and Delhi: Rawat.(2002)

“Sects and Indian Religions.” In V. Das, ed., The Oxford India Companion to Sociology and Social Anthropology, Vol. 1.  Delhi: Oxford University Press, pp. 802-826.(2003)

“The Importance of Religious Rituals.”  Souvenir (Jainism—the Art of Living). Twelfth Biennial JAINA Convention, July 3-6, 2003. Federation of Jain Associations in North America, pp. 49-53. [reprinted in Jain Spirit 17 (Dec. 2003-Feb. 2004), pp. 44-46]

Review of Jains in the World: Religious Values and Ideology in   India. By John E. Cort. Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 71: 3 (Sept. 2003), pp. 684-687.

“Thwarted Sacrifice: On the Origin Myths of Jain Castes.”  In Olle  Qvarnström, ed., Jainism and Early Buddhism: Essays in Honor of Padmanabh S. Jaini. Fremont (Calif.): Asian Humanities Press, pp. 29-46.(2003)

Alchemies of Violence: Myths of Identity and the Life of Trade in Western India. New Delhi: Sage.(2004)

Review of Women in Ochre Robes: Gendering Hindu Renunciation. Meena Khandelwal. Albany: State University of New York Press,       American Ethnologist. (2004)

Articles on “Dada Lekhraj,” “Jainism,” “Mahavira,” “Parshva,”       “Nemi,” “Malli,” and “Rishabha,” in Holy People of the World: A Cross-Cultural Encyclopedia (ed. Phyllis G. Jestice). Santa Barbara, Denver, Oxford: ABC CLIO.(2004)

“Jain Monks” in T. N. Madan, ed., India’s Religions: Perspectives from Sociology and History. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, pp. 169-184. (Reprint of material from Absent Lord)2004

“Jainism.”  In The New Dictionary of the History of Ideas. Ed. Maryanne Horowitz, Vol. 3.  Detroit: Charles Scribner’s Sons. Pp. 1161-62. 6 vols.(2005)

“From Hinduism to Jainism (and Back Again).” In special edition of Jinamañjari on “American Studies of Jainism” edited by John Cort,2006 (34: 2, pp. 25-33).

Review of Guardians of the Transcendent: An Ethnography of a Jain Ascetic Community, by Anne Vallely. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Insitute (N.S.) 12.(2006)

“Researching the Emerald City.”  In Emerald: First Impressions, pp. 21-41. Jaipur: Global Gem and Jewellery Media Centre.(2006)

“The Jain Community.”  In The Oxford Handbook of Global Religions, pp. 51-56, edited by Mark Juergensmeyer. New York: Oxford University Press.(2006)

“Tod and Traders,” in James Tod’s Rajasthan, edited by Giles Tillotson. Mumbai: Marg Publications.(2007)

“Jainism.”  In Darity, William A., Jr. International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, 2nd edition. 9 vols. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2008. Vol. 4, 166-67.

Desert Temples: Sacred Centers of Rajasthan in Historical, Art-Historical  and Social Contexts. Book coauthored with Michael Meister and John Cort: Jaipur and New Delhi: Rawat.(2008)

Articles on Brahma Kumaris, Dada Lekhraj, Radhasoami, Sathya Sai Baba, Sathya Sai Baba Movement, Shirdi Sai Baba, in Denise Cush, Catherine Robinson, Michael York, eds, The Encyclopedia of Hinduism. London: Routledge (2008)

“Recasting a Caste: The Case of the Dadhich Brahmans.” In H. L. Seneviratne, ed., The Anthropologist as Native: Essays for Gananath Obeyesekere. Firenze: Societe Editrice Fiorentina.(2009)

“Archaeology in Present Time,” with John Cort and Michael   Meister, in Proceedings of the 19th Meeting of  the European Association of South Asian Archaeology in Ravenna, Italy, July 2007 ''Volume II: Historic Periods. ''  London: Archaeopress.(2010)

Review of John Cort, Framing the Jina: Narratives of Icons and Idols in Jain History. In Journal of the American Academy of Religion 79 (2011): 2

“Jainism’s Ethic of Non-Harm.”  In Manish Vyas, ed., Issues in Ethics and Animal Rights.  Delhi: Regency Publications, 198-211.(2011)

Emerald City: The Birth and Evolution of an Indian Gemstone Industry. Albany (N.Y.): SUNY Press.(2013)

Understanding Jainism. Edinburgh: Dunedin .Academic Press(2015)

“James Tod and the Jains,” in Andrea Luithle-Hardenberg, ed., Co-   operation and Competition, Conflict and Contribution: The Jaina Community, British Rule and Occidental Scholarship from 18th to Early 20th Century(2019)

Religion in India, Past and Present. Edinburgh: Dunedin Academic Press.(2019)

Brill’s Encyclopedia of Jainism, articles on “Animals,” Caste,” Jains as Merchants,” “Dana” and “Puja”(2020)

Category:Anthropologists