Hold the Date! - Tuesday, March 11th

Please RSVP to Arjun Bhagat at 650-465-1023

 

Date: March 11th, Tuesday, 3:00pm - 5:00 PM

Program:
Place: Altos Room of Foothill College, 12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos, CA, 94022

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 "The Heathen in his Blindness...": 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 "comparing cultures." 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 "many Indians believe in reincarnation, while most westerners do not"; "Indians are more family-oriented, while westerners are more individualistic"; "India has a caste system, while the West is more egalitarian";....? 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.

HAF, an advocacy group for the Hindu American community, interacts with and educates leaders in public policy, academia and media about Hinduism and domestic and international issues of concern to Hindu Americans such as human rights, the public expression of religion, the public portrayal of Hinduism, and hate speech
 

Please visit www.HAFsite.org to see more of the work we have done.
 We look forward to seeing you on March 11th!