The 10th SOAS World Philosophies Bi-monthly Lecture Series: 'Humanism in Contemporary Indian Philosophy' by Elise Coquereau-Saouma

[Elvis Imafidon]

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to the 10th SOAS World Philosophies Lecture taking place Online on September 30, 2022 @ 14:00 UK Time. The Lecture will be delivered by Erwin Schrödinger Fellow & Research Affiliate, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Dr Elise Coquereau-Saouma. Register HERE to receive the Zoom link to attend. Here are the details (flyer attached):

Title:

Humanism in Contemporary Indian Philosophy

Summary:

Contemporary Indian philosophy is not very standardly defined. There are neither specific topics that could be singled out, nor a precise canon in which philosophers ought (or not) to be included, nor a definite recognizable method or language in which it is written. This leaves great freedom and space for philosophical novelty, but also room for prejudices and absences. Because contemporary Indian philosophy tends to be read as interpretations of classical Sanskrit Indian philosophy, and evaluated according to its (in)authentic rendering of ‘original’ texts, its inner diversity is usually overlooked. Most often a few representatives are put in the forefront, such as Tagore, Sri Aurobindo or Gandhi, the intellectual and/or revolutionary leaders whose influence transcends their heritage. Addressing this limitation, I focus in this talk on the concept of ‘humanism’ to articulate the multidirectional and dialogical dimension of contemporary Indian philosophy. I show how the debate around the humanistic nature of Indian philosophy engages at once with Western phenomenology and philosophical anthropology, with the classical concepts of ātman (Self) and mokṣa (liberation), and with apparently contradicting concepts of humanism - a spiritualist humanism (in particular following P. T. Raju and Radhakrishnan) and a rationalist, scientific humanism, following M. N. Roy and D. P. Chattopadhyaya. Thus, I present the debate on the humanistic nature of Indian philosophy as a prism to introduce the complexity and diversity of contemporary Indian philosophy.

Speakers Bio:

Dr Elise Coquereau-Saouma is the recipient of an Erwin Schrödinger Fellowship (Austrian Science Fund) and a research affiliate at Jawaharlal Nehru University (New Delhi). She works on intercultural philosophy, in particular on contemporary Indian philosophy. She is the co-editor with E. Freschi of a special issue of Sophia on ‘The Challenge of Postcolonial Philosophy in India: Too Alien for Contemporary Philosophers, too Modern for Sanskritists?’ (2018) and is preparing two monographs for Routledge: Intercultural Dialogues: Conceptions, Divergences and Limits; and Creativity of Knowledge and Intercultural Dialogue: Thinking with Daya Krishna.

For further information about, and previous lectures in, the SOAS World Philosophies Lecture Series, please visit this webpage:

https://www.soas.ac.uk/religions-and-philosophies/events/world-philosophies-lecture-series/ 

Looking forward to seeing you there.

Best wishes, 

Elvis. 

______________________ 

Dr Elvis Imafidon, FHEA, FJIAS 

Department of Religions and Philosophies,
School of History, Religions and Philosophies,
SOAS, University of London.
CI, AHRC & GCRF DIA Project. 

Weblinks: SOAS; ORCID; PERSONAL 

Recent Books: 

Handbook of African Philosophy of Difference (2020) 

African Philosophy and the Otherness of Albinism (2019) 

Recent Articles: 

Beyond Continental and African Philosophies of Personhood, Healthcare and Difference, Nursing Philosophy, (2022) 

Shifting Wrongs to Rights: Lessons in Human Rights from the Situation of Mothers Impacted by Albinism in Africa, Journal of Human Rights Practice (2022) 

Exploring African Relational Ethic of Ubuntu for Inclusion and Solidarity in the Humanitarian Field, Europe Talks Solidarity (2022). 

Ongoing Funded Research:  

Mothering and Albinism 

Disability and Inclusion Africa 

[Elvis Imafidon]

Dear Colleagues,

This is to remind you that the 10th SOAS World Philosophies Lecture takes place online this week on Friday September 30, 2022 @ 14:00 UK Time. The Lecture will be delivered by Erwin Schrödinger Fellow & Research Affiliate, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Dr Elise Coquereau-Saouma. Register HERE to receive the Zoom link to attend. See details of the lecture below.

Best wishes,

Elvis