UT College of Liberal Arts Asian Studies Program Presents: "The Multilingual Literary Cultures of South Asia: Epics, Songs, Kathas, and Ghazals"

Multilingualism permeated premodern South Asian literary cultures, transcending the confines of courts, monasteries, salons, and hospices to extend beyond these settings. It manifested in diverse forms through religious and philosophical exchanges, as well as interactions between cosmopolitan and vernacular languages, influencing both formally named and unidentified forms of speech. This workshop regards multilingualism as a prerequisite and aims to explore its practical applications in oral and literate cultures across various religious traditions, time periods, and geographical locations in premodern South Asia. Furthermore, the workshop seeks to emphasize the significance of adopting a multilingual approach in studying this historical milieu. 

Tentative Schedule: 
9:00-9:30 am             Welcome and opening remarks by Dalpat Rajpurohit  

9:30-10:15 am            Francesca Orsini  

10:15-11:00 am          Harshita Kamath

11:00-11:15 pm          Coffee Break

11:15-12:00 pm          Andrew Ollett  

12:00 to 1:00 pm        Lunch  

1:00-1:45 pm              Tyler Williams  

1:45-2:30 pm              Elaine Craddock  

2:30-2:45 pm              Coffee Break

2:45-3:30 pm              Akbar Hyder  

3:30-4:30                   Discussion and concluding remarks by Manasicha Akepiyapornchai