All Episodes
Episodes
Arti Dhand on The Mahābhārata
What does the Mahābhārata – a gargantuan epic tale from ancient India – have the teach about life wisdom? Learn three core themes of the ancient Sanskrit epic – along with a story of one of its most compelling female...
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Karen G. Ruffle, "Everyday Shi'ism in South Asia" (John Wiley & Sons, 2021)
Karen Ruffle's Everyday Shi'ism in South Asia (John Wiley & Sons, 2021) is an introduction to the everyday life and cultural memory of Shi’i women and men, focusing on the religious worlds of both individuals and...
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Michael D. Nichols, "Religion and Myth in the Marvel Cinematic Universe" (McFarland, 2021)
Breaking box office records, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has achieved an unparalleled level of success with fans across the world, raising the films to a higher level of narrative: myth. Michael D....
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J. Fewkes and M. Adamson Sijapati, "Muslim Communities and Cultures of the Himalayas: Conceptualizing the Global Ummah" (Routledge, 2020)
Jacqueline Fewkes and Megan Adamson Sijapati edited volume Muslim Communities and Cultures of the Himalayas: Conceptualizing the Global Ummah (Routledge, 2020) explores individual perspectives and specific iterations...
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Bhakti Marg Swami: ISKON Leader
What does it mean to be a Swami? This podcast features words of wisdom from ISKCON Leader Bhakti Marg Swami. In drawing from his ISCON journey which began in 1973, we broach topics of devotion, detachment, and...
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Pandemic Perspectives: Working Remotely, a Discussion with Raj Balkaran
Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you aren’t an island, and neither are we. So we reached across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project, to...
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Brenda Beck, "Land of the Golden River: The Medieval Tamil Folk Epic of Poṉṉivaḷa Nāḍu" (Friesen Press, 2021)
This podcast features Brenda Beck’s lifelong work on the Tamil folk epic Ponnivala. In addition to her forthcoming new English translation of the epic (“Land of the Golden River”), we also discuss her 1982 study of...
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Teaching Buddhist Studies Online: A Discussion with Kate Hartmann
Join Raj Balkaran as he talks with Dr. Kate Hartmann, Assistant Professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of Wyoming and Director of Buddhist Studies Online, a new educational platform providing coursework on...
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Gil Ben-Herut and Jon Keune, "Regional Communities of Devotion in South Asia: Insiders, Outsiders, and Interlopers" (Routledge, 2019)
Gil Ben-Herut and Jon Keune's book Regional Communities of Devotion in South Asia: Insiders, Outsiders, and Interlopers (Routledge, 2019) explores the key motif of the religious Other in devotional (bhakti)...
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Birinder Pal Singh, "Sikhs in the Deccan and North-East India" (Taylor & Francis, 2018)
Birinder Pal Singh's book Sikhs in the Deccan and North-East India (Taylor & Francis, 2018) is a major intervention in the understanding of the dynamics of internal migration in South Asia. It traces the...
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Thomas Robinson and Hillary Rodrigues, "World Religions Reader: Understanding Our Religious World" (ROBINEST, 2020)
Preparing online materials since 2005 (including Hindusim the EBook, 2016), Dr. Hillary Rodrigues has been working on a fantastic resource for anyone interested in studying or teaching world religions....
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Daniel Heifetz, "The Science of Satyug: Class, Charisma, and Vedic Revivalism in the All World Gayatri Pariwar" (SUNY Press, 2021)
The first in-depth study of the All World Gayatri Pariwar, a modern Indian religious movement. The All World Gayatri Pariwar is a modern religious movement that enjoys wide popularity in North India, particularly...
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