IIAS Seminar
IDEOLOGY AND STATUS OF SANSKRIT IN SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST ASIA
November 17, 18 & 19, 1994

In the development and history of Sanskrit as a standard language
socio-economic and political factors have played roles of which the importance
has not yet been fully assessed. The a high status attributed to Sanskrit from
the earliest times is based on, among other things, the formulation of a
standard grammar of Sanskrit and the elaborate theories and metaphysical
ideologies which have evolved around it in the process. The use of and the
ideology inherent in Sanskrit have played an important role in the Indian
subcontinent and neighbouring regions in Asia.
The focus of the seminar will be on the implicit and explicit ideologies which
have developed around Sanskrit in the course of time, if possible against the
background of early and recent socio-political developments as far as these
can be reconstructed and observed. There will also be room for contributions
for the criticism and development of research methods and theories of
sociolinguistic change and stability on the basis of the data provided by
Sanskrit in different periods of South and Southeast Asian history.

PRELIMINARY PROGRAMME

Thursday 17 November: Sanskrit in South Asia: past and present
10.00 Opening by Prof. L. Leertouwer, Rector Magnificus of Leiden University

SPEAKERS

Prof. M.M. Deshpande (Ann Arbor, MI, USA): 'Contextualizing the Eternal
Language: dimensions of Sanskrit in priestly performance'
Prof. H.H. Hock (Urbana, IL, USA): ''Pre-Vedic Dravidian/ Indo-Aryan Contact'
again, noch einmal, encore une fois: The issues, the contrversies, and a
possible solution.'
Prof. A. Wezler (Hamburg, Germany): 'Do You Speak Sanskrit? On a class of
Sanskrit texts'
Prof. S. Bhate (Pune, India): 'Position of Sanskrit in Public Education and
Scientific Research in Modern India'
Dr J.E.M. Houben (Leiden, the Netherlands): 'Sociolinguistic attitudes
reflected in the Vþkyapadþya.'

FRIDAY 18 NOVEMBER: SPECIFIC AREAS AND COMMUNITIES IN SOUTH ASIA

SPEAKERS

Drs. C. van der Burg (Amsterdam, the Netherlands), 'Sanskrit in Neo-Hindu
Ideologies'
Dr H. Tieken (Leiden, the Netherlands): 'The Function of Mþhþrþstrþ Prþkrit
in Hþla's Sattasaþ.'
Dr T. Goudriaan (Leiden, the Netherlands): 'Speech of the gurus: instances of
treatment of Sanskrit in Tantric literature.'
Dr G. Menon (Leiden, the Netherlands): 'Sanskrit in South-India, Pallava and
Chola periods.'
Prof. J. Bronkhorst (Lausanne, Switzerland): 'Sanskrit and Reality: the
Buddhist contribution'
Dr. M. Nihom (Vienna, Austria): on þþstra in Kashmiri þaivism; title to be
announced
Drs. M. Oort (Leiden, the Netherlands): 'Transference of Narratives into
Sanskrit in the first millenium CE'
Prof. A. Aklujkar (Vancouver, Canada): 'Some Musings on Historical Research
Concerning the Status and Ideology of Sanskrit.'

SATURDAY 19 NOVEMBER: THEORETICAL ISSUES: SANSKRIT AND SANSKRITIC CULTURE
OUTSIDE SOUTH ASIA

SPEAKERS

Prof. J.D. Kelly (Chicago, USA), 'What was Sanskrit for? Metadiscursive
strategies in Ancient India.'
Prof. P. Raster (Essen, Germany): 'How universal is Sanskrit? A discussion
with reference to the Karaka-theory.'
Prof. S. Pollock (Chicago, USA): 'The Sanskrit Cosmopolis: Transculturation,
Vernacularization and the Question of Ideology.'
Dr P. Verhagen (Leiden, the Netherlands): 'On the Ideology and Status of
Sanskrit Studies in Tibet.'
Prof. B.J. Terwiel (Hamburg, Germany): 'Prodosy and Education in Early Thai
History'
Prof. A. Radicchi (Cagliari, Italy): 'On the Kþrakasamgraha: a Balinese
Sanskrit grammatical text'
Dr J.M. Verpoorten (Verviers, Belgium): 'Views of the 17th century Europeans
in India concerning Sanskrit and Sanskrit speakers'