|
Search the site
|
|
Erika Kemp (Religious Studies and SSEAS Major)
"The Holy Gita: The Role of the West in India's Adoption of the Bhagavad Gita as a Holy Text"
Sponsor: Dr. Sally Sutherland Goldman, SSEAS
Project Description
A double major in Religious Studies and South Asian Studies, Erika will be researching the influence of British colonial discourse and Oriental scholarship on the adoption of the Bhagavad Gita, a Sanskrit Hindu text of the third and fourth centuries CE, as the "Hindu Bible" during the early twentieth century. She will spend the summer in India attending an advanced Sanskrit program in preparation for her analysis of major translations and interpretations of the Gita by Western scholars produced between 1890 and 1950. Her research will focus on the major role of the Gita in the social and political movements of the early twentieth century, the influence of Western translations and interpretations of the Gita on Indian political and social leaders of this period, and the ways in which this cross cultural exchange contributed to the characterization of the Gita's holy status in Western terms. Erika will present her findings as her Senior Honors Thesis in Religious Studies.
Scholar's Photo 
Scholar's Journal
Howdy. So here’s my journal. It is an excerpt of my personal journal while studying in the field in India this past summer. What I hope to offer to you, having graciously taken your time to peruse my inner musings, is the passion and creativity that being in the field offers a researcher, and how I assimilated my experience of doing field research into my Haas project. So here goes…
“And my paper. I need to think about it – my new idea is to do a translation of the most pertinent chapters (of the Bhagavad Gita) with a cummulative (historical, philosophical, religious, and social) commentary on the teachings. Why? My original intent was to write about the “Impact of the West on the Gita as a Holy Text” – that would be interesting but what purpose would it serve? I would like to provide a translation of the Gita that gives the reader some philosophical, historical and social context of the text and leaves space for individual interpretation – informed individual interpretation. Why the Gita? Because it’s prolific. It’s everywhere. What do I as a writer, and “academic” want to say? I don’t know. Interpret it for your soul. Your life. Know what others say but don’t accept it blindly. Figure it out for yourself. Decide what you want to accept or reject based on concrete knowledge not simply belief. I want to offer this opportunity to others. Pick apart tradition. Experience it for yourself. So maybe I take this work on as a personal project as well and I include my musings – my experiences and understanding as well.”
These ideas became the foundation for my new project. Certain elements have been modified for the sake of practicality (like choosing one chapter to focus on rather than a few) however these ideas are the foundation for my Honors thesis and Haas project. Although it was quite disconcerting to return from the field with this radical proposal that was also quite different than my original proposal – this wound up being the original, inspired, and creative academic work I have wanted to do since I arrived on the Berkeley campus.
|
