Steven E. Lindquist

Dr. Steven E. Lindquist is Associate Professor and Director of Asian Studies. He is a specialist in South Asian religious traditions and his research focuses on Sanskrit religious literature, the rise of ascetic movements during the so-called "second urbanization" of India, and the narrative and mythological traditions of India. He first book is on the literary history of the sage Yājñavalkya and he has published articles on topics such as Indian numismatics and philosophical storytelling. He is currently working on his second monograph entitled Narratives About Knowledge: Reading Upaniṣadic Stories. He is the South Asia Editor for Religious Studies Review, a founding member of the South Asia Documentary Film Collective, and has been a board member of both the Hinduism Group (American Academy of Religion) and of the American Oriental Society.

Courses Taught

• Hinduism
• Myth, Tales, and Epics from Ancient India
• Introduction to Asian Religions
• Approaches to Asian Religions (grad core course)
• Gandhi's Life and Afterlives (in development)

Selected Publications

• "'Transcending the World' in World Literature," The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to World Literature: South Asian Literatures, ed. by Venkat Mani, Wiley Blackwell, 2020.
• Review of film "Gurukulam," Asian Ethnology, Nanzen Institute for Religion and Culture, 77.1/2, 2018.
• "Teaching Stories about Teaching Self: Upaniṣadic Narrative in the Classroom," Religious Studies News: Spotlight on Teaching, http://rsn.aarweb.org/spotlight-on/teaching/teaching-tales/teaching-stories-about-teaching-self, American Academy of Religion, 2018.
• "The Social Background: Caste and Gender in the Upaniṣads," The Upanishads: A Complete Guide, ed. by Signe Cohen, New York: Routledge, 2017.
• "Prominent Characters in the Upaniṣads," The Upanishads: A Complete Guide, ed. by Signe Cohen, New York: Routledge, 2017.
• "From Sri Lanka to Texas: Patrick Olivelle and the Study of South Asia, " Dialogue (NS), Ecumenical Institute for Study and Dialogue, vol. XLII-XLIII, 2015/2016.
• Religion and Identity in South Asia and Beyond: Essays in Honor of Patrick Olivelle, editor, New York/London/Delhi: Anthem Press, 2011/2013.

Distinctions

Lindquist has received several awards including the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Grant, the American Institute of Indian Studies Junior Fellowship, the Felix Chen Faculty Development Grant, and several Universal Council Research grants.