I am interested in semantic analysis of the concepts that populate the Indian Intellectual Tradition. Phone: 9638885400 Address: I floor, D Block, School of Liberal Studies, Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University, Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
This paper aims to examine how religion and literature are related to each other. There have alwa... more This paper aims to examine how religion and literature are related to each other. There have always been attempts to probe various religious elements in the form of symbols, themes and motifs in literary works. Religion, on the other hand, has found literature as a powerful medium to communicate religious messages to the masses. The paper argues that the relationship between literature and religion is reciprocal as religion provides literature with a variety of sources to resolve ethical and moral dilemmas and literature, in turn, helps glorify or subvert religious dogmas. In order to elucidate this, the paper undertakes a close reading of Dostoevsky"s Crime and Punishment and examines how the novel contextualizes the Christian theme of sin, suffering, and redemption through the conflict between Christian values and rational egoism.
This paper critically examines several educational reforms proposed by Martha Nussbaum to restore... more This paper critically examines several educational reforms proposed by Martha Nussbaum to restore Humanities to the mainstream by attempting a close reading of her Cultivating Humanities (1997) and Not for Profit (2010). Nussbaum bases her inquiry primarily in the US context while taking a few examples and anecdotes from India. The paper examines the validity of these reforms in Indian educational scenario and argues that they have several limitations due to which they might not be very effective if implemented without any substantial revision. In order to bring grassroots change, it would require robust efforts from all stakeholders to enforce these strategies. How the advancement and research in humanities and social sciences in the West, finds it tough to explain and elaborate on the socio-cultural dynamics of South, makes the final part of this paper. The intellectual colonialism led to the ‗trained-incapacity‘ of the present-day Indian intellectuals to come up with ‗constructive alternatives‘ and hence, a failure to examine their own intellectual traditions as covered in various classical texts (N.K. Singhi in Krishna: 1987, p.3). The paper concludes by suggesting a few constructive arguments to strengthen the scope of humanities and social science education in India. Keywords: Humanities, Higher Education, Martha Nussbaum, Social Sciences, Challenges, Indian Intellectual Traditions.
Dialogue Quarterly Astha Bharti Publication, Dec 2017
The institution of public intellectualism in the democratic societies has been a great ‘conscienc... more The institution of public intellectualism in the democratic societies has been a great ‘conscience-creator and shaper’. First, Public Intellectualism helps in consolidating the local aspirations and beliefs that guides the society and political society to ‘govern’ constructively. Secondly, it helps to bring changes in the ‘non-accommodative’ attitudes and aspirations of people and establishes an ‘informed-debate’ over the issues of common-concern.
The proposed paper aims to examine Martha Nussbaum’s efforts to overcome the crises of humanity as explicated in her two seminal texts - Cultivating Humanity: A Classical Defense of Reform in Liberal Education (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1997) & Not for Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities. (New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2010. Nussbaum asserts that science and technology can lead a democratic country to economic advancement; but to make it qualitative and comprehensive living, it is imperative to create a decent world culture which is possible by extensive study of humanities.
The last section of the paper attempts to critically evaluate the functioning of ‘public-intellectualism’ in India in recent past. The research method used in the paper is qualitative, normative and historical in nature.
Since long, the subject dominated tradition has overshadowed the importance of matter in most of ... more Since long, the subject dominated tradition has overshadowed the importance of matter in most of the humanities and social sciences disciplines. Matter qua matter has been enormously subjugated by epistemology and ontology. Resultantly, objects have been perceived in relation to subject's position and thus denied of any ontic existence of their own. This paper aims to look for an alternative ontology which can suspend the objectification of the object and the subjectification of the subject. Such a suspension is possible only when an equitarian approach is advanced without any reductionist tendency. In proposing non-reductive equitarian ontology of object and subject, I will examine two literary texts where objects have been victimized of a prejudiced reading by the subject. Be it a 'handkerchief' in William Shakespeare's Othello or 'headscarf' in Orhan Pamuk's Snow, the pre-ordained identities of these objects have reduced their role up to an instrument which is exploited by an individual or an institution. In this paper, I will argue that if objects were treated as objects rather than the meanings which they are assigned, the disjunctivist way to perceive matter and mind separately would change the mode of ethical inquiry by asserting non-reductive equitarian ontology.
This paper aims to examine how religion and literature are related to each other. There have alwa... more This paper aims to examine how religion and literature are related to each other. There have always been attempts to probe various religious elements in the form of symbols, themes and motifs in literary works. Religion, on the other hand, has found literature as a powerful medium to communicate religious messages to the masses. The paper argues that the relationship between literature and religion is reciprocal as religion provides literature with a variety of sources to resolve ethical and moral dilemmas and literature, in turn, helps glorify or subvert religious dogmas. In order to elucidate this, the paper undertakes a close reading of Dostoevsky"s Crime and Punishment and examines how the novel contextualizes the Christian theme of sin, suffering, and redemption through the conflict between Christian values and rational egoism.
This paper critically examines several educational reforms proposed by Martha Nussbaum to restore... more This paper critically examines several educational reforms proposed by Martha Nussbaum to restore Humanities to the mainstream by attempting a close reading of her Cultivating Humanities (1997) and Not for Profit (2010). Nussbaum bases her inquiry primarily in the US context while taking a few examples and anecdotes from India. The paper examines the validity of these reforms in Indian educational scenario and argues that they have several limitations due to which they might not be very effective if implemented without any substantial revision. In order to bring grassroots change, it would require robust efforts from all stakeholders to enforce these strategies. How the advancement and research in humanities and social sciences in the West, finds it tough to explain and elaborate on the socio-cultural dynamics of South, makes the final part of this paper. The intellectual colonialism led to the ‗trained-incapacity‘ of the present-day Indian intellectuals to come up with ‗constructive alternatives‘ and hence, a failure to examine their own intellectual traditions as covered in various classical texts (N.K. Singhi in Krishna: 1987, p.3). The paper concludes by suggesting a few constructive arguments to strengthen the scope of humanities and social science education in India. Keywords: Humanities, Higher Education, Martha Nussbaum, Social Sciences, Challenges, Indian Intellectual Traditions.
Dialogue Quarterly Astha Bharti Publication, Dec 2017
The institution of public intellectualism in the democratic societies has been a great ‘conscienc... more The institution of public intellectualism in the democratic societies has been a great ‘conscience-creator and shaper’. First, Public Intellectualism helps in consolidating the local aspirations and beliefs that guides the society and political society to ‘govern’ constructively. Secondly, it helps to bring changes in the ‘non-accommodative’ attitudes and aspirations of people and establishes an ‘informed-debate’ over the issues of common-concern.
The proposed paper aims to examine Martha Nussbaum’s efforts to overcome the crises of humanity as explicated in her two seminal texts - Cultivating Humanity: A Classical Defense of Reform in Liberal Education (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1997) & Not for Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities. (New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2010. Nussbaum asserts that science and technology can lead a democratic country to economic advancement; but to make it qualitative and comprehensive living, it is imperative to create a decent world culture which is possible by extensive study of humanities.
The last section of the paper attempts to critically evaluate the functioning of ‘public-intellectualism’ in India in recent past. The research method used in the paper is qualitative, normative and historical in nature.
Since long, the subject dominated tradition has overshadowed the importance of matter in most of ... more Since long, the subject dominated tradition has overshadowed the importance of matter in most of the humanities and social sciences disciplines. Matter qua matter has been enormously subjugated by epistemology and ontology. Resultantly, objects have been perceived in relation to subject's position and thus denied of any ontic existence of their own. This paper aims to look for an alternative ontology which can suspend the objectification of the object and the subjectification of the subject. Such a suspension is possible only when an equitarian approach is advanced without any reductionist tendency. In proposing non-reductive equitarian ontology of object and subject, I will examine two literary texts where objects have been victimized of a prejudiced reading by the subject. Be it a 'handkerchief' in William Shakespeare's Othello or 'headscarf' in Orhan Pamuk's Snow, the pre-ordained identities of these objects have reduced their role up to an instrument which is exploited by an individual or an institution. In this paper, I will argue that if objects were treated as objects rather than the meanings which they are assigned, the disjunctivist way to perceive matter and mind separately would change the mode of ethical inquiry by asserting non-reductive equitarian ontology.
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Papers by Vaibhav Shah
Keywords: Humanities, Higher Education, Martha Nussbaum, Social Sciences, Challenges, Indian Intellectual Traditions.
The proposed paper aims to examine Martha Nussbaum’s efforts to overcome the crises of humanity as explicated in her two seminal texts - Cultivating Humanity: A Classical Defense of Reform in Liberal Education (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1997) & Not for Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities. (New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2010. Nussbaum asserts that science and technology can lead a democratic country to economic advancement; but to make it qualitative and comprehensive living, it is imperative to create a decent world culture which is possible by extensive study of humanities.
The last section of the paper attempts to critically evaluate the functioning of ‘public-intellectualism’ in India in recent past. The research method used in the paper is qualitative, normative and historical in nature.
Keywords: Humanities, Higher Education, Martha Nussbaum, Social Sciences, Challenges, Indian Intellectual Traditions.
The proposed paper aims to examine Martha Nussbaum’s efforts to overcome the crises of humanity as explicated in her two seminal texts - Cultivating Humanity: A Classical Defense of Reform in Liberal Education (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1997) & Not for Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities. (New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2010. Nussbaum asserts that science and technology can lead a democratic country to economic advancement; but to make it qualitative and comprehensive living, it is imperative to create a decent world culture which is possible by extensive study of humanities.
The last section of the paper attempts to critically evaluate the functioning of ‘public-intellectualism’ in India in recent past. The research method used in the paper is qualitative, normative and historical in nature.