Narrativity and Indian Historiography

Guest lecture by Anthony Cerulli, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, NY, and Research Fellow at Institut d'Études Avancées de Paris.

Abstract

"In this talk I probe two elements in the reading and writing of history in South Asia: first, I consider the place and the potential uses of narrative literature in the historian’s production of the past and, second, I reflect on various modes of representation in historiography. I approach these issues with an eye on the broader context of history as a discipline. Yet, to keep the discussion grounded in the reading of texts and writing of history in India I examine an early-eighteenth century Sanskrit allegorical drama, The Joy of Life (Jivanandanam) of Anandarayamakhin, and ask what it might offer in our historical understanding of the south Indian context in which it was produced."