Professor James Hegarty

(he/him)

Publication

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Research

My research explores the cultural and intellectual history of the religions of South Asia. I focus, in particular, on the historical and cultural role of religious story traditions in the region; my work spans from c. the Fifth Century BCE to modern times, and I have worked on Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Sikh, Christian and Islamic sources and traditions. I use anthropological and cognitive psychological theory in conjunction with historical and philological approaches.

My major funded projects are as follows:

History of Genealogy, Genealogy of History: Family and the Narrative Construction of the Significant Past in Early South Asia

This project investigates the role of genealogical narrative in early South Asia; the grounding hypothesis is that it was through the representation of familial descent, problematic or otherwise, that a post-Vedic religious 'history' and 'imaginary' was configured in first-millennium South Asia.

This project aims to enhance our knowledge of the role of genealogy in the formation of consensus understandings of the past in historic south Asia.

AHRC

£180, 000

3 years

Text Critical, Cultural Historical

Public Lectures, Workshops

The Story of Story in South Asia: Character and Genre across Hindu, Buddhist and Jain Narrative Traditions

Stories are important. It is through story that we communicate who we are, who we are not, what we hope to be and what we fear we may become. Recent developments in the cognitive sciences have shown that, in fundamental ways, human beings need stories in order to organize their memories, to learn, and to relate to one another successfully. Early South Asia, perhaps more than any other place on earth, has lived in and through its stories. South Asia has a vast repository of story traditions, which have been used to express insights into what it is to be human, into how the world works, its past, and what its future might be. These stories are integral to three of the world's most significant religious traditions, Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. However, research into these traditions has tended to remain separate and there has been little attempt either to move from one 'ism' to another or to integrate new perspectives on narrative and its role in human societies. This project sets out to do just that. It is our intention to explore the role of narrative across these three traditions in the context of recent perspectives drawn from cognitive and linguistic theory. Such a vast task must be broken down, and so the project focuses on literary characters that are shared by all three traditions. By focusing on these characters(such as Janaka, Sita, Vidura, and Nimi) and exploring the way they are used in different narrative traditions and ideological contexts, we will begin to trace the contours of a shared world of story-telling and story-hearing activities. This shared context, we will argue, was integral to the ways in which religious and political ideologies, identities and histories were transmitted and adapted in early South Asia. We will also suggest that the exploration of the role of story in early South Asian society, in the light of approaches to the study of narrative as integral to human cognitive and social development, opens up new vistas for research into the role of narrative both within and across pre-modern societies more generally. It can also help us to understand that no ideologies, identities, or histories, are fixed. This is an understanding that is of considerable importance if we are, as a society, to encourage inclusive and fluid models of identity and religious 'heritage'.

This project aims to explore the role of narrative and, in particular, shared characters, in the relationship between Hindu, Buddhist and Jain tradition.

AHRC

£370, 000

3 years

Text Critical, Cultural Historical

Public Lectures, Workshops, Conference attendance.

Teaching

Why you should study South Asia

South Asia is now the most populous region on Earth; it is the source of ideas and practices, from ancient times to present, that have had a global impact; it is the inheritor of a complex historical legacy of colonialism and its aftermath; it is at the centre of the world today economically, politically and culturally. Why would you not study it?

This is the sub-continent that gave us so many of the religious ideas and practices that we take for granted, such as yoga, mindfulness, meditation, and nirvana to name only a few. It is also the place of origin of Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Sikh traditions, as well as rich and distinctive forms of Christianity, Islam and other, less well known, but no less important and vital, traditions of religious thought and practice.  As well as this, South Asia is the home of some of the greatest literature and poetry in the world. From elaborate and extended 'epics' like the Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata, to elegant philosophical dialogues, such as we find in the Upaniṣads and the Buddhist Nikāyas, as well as simple, but beautiful, statements of devotion to God, there is no end to it. There are great dramas, beautiful poems and heartbreaking songs in abundance. These are  shot through with both sophisticated ideas and heartfelt emotions. All of this has been undertaken in complex historical circumstances from the Mauryan Empire, to Mughal Rule and the British Raj, to name only a few key periods. 

What I teach

My teaching area is the history of religions in South Asia, ancient, medieval and modern. This includes Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Indian Islamic and Christian traditions, as well as early and medieval South Asian literature. I also sometimes teach the Sanskrit language.

As I teach in this area, I explore variously the legacies of colonialism, the concept of religion, as well as how all human beings understand and interpret the world around them using stories (which leads me also to teach, on occasion, cognitive and anthropological theory, as well as the historiography of South Asia). 

How I teach

Universities are institutions that are dedicated to answering questions in a logial and evidence-based way. They are all about showing your working out. This is easy to say, but harder to do. My approach to teaching is simple, but not easy. I teach learners how to answer questions about human beings and the role of religion in their lives and societies (both historically and in the present). I teach them how do to this logically and with evidence, which is a complicated task. 

To teach any complicated task, you have to break it down into the basic skills and competencies that are involved in its successful performance. This is as true of cooking or DIY as it is of studying the religions of South Asia. It is not so much 'you can't make an omlette without breaking eggs', as it is 'you can't make an omlette without knowing how to break an egg'. I break down the skills involved in the study of the history of religions and of South Asia into simple and mangeable parts, that can be practiced and internalised. I then ask learners to combine the skills they develop, from language competencies to textual analysis, in creative ways until they are ready to answer questions clearly, logically and with evidence. 

In order to learn, everyone needs to understand why they are doing what they are doing and what the benefits are for themselves and others. As well as this, they need to feel emotionally supported; we all question and second guess ourselves; we all use the time it takes to learn anything well, as a sign that we cannot do it, or are not talented enough; we all become discouraged sometimes. I try to help with this. I teach with passion and commitment to every learner and their progression.

My goal is to make sure that the exploration of South Asian religion and culture is an accessible and rewarding experience that changes how learners think about the world and themselves in positive ways. I also believe that answering questions with logic and evidence and showing your working out, is essential for societies worldwide, as also is a rich and nuanced knowledge of global history, societies and religions.

Biography

I was educated at Enfield Grammar School and the University of Manchester. I obtained my Ph.D. in Sanskrit Literature having undertaken my B.A. in Comparative Religion and my M.A. in Religions and Theology (with Social Anthropology) at the same institution. The British Academy and the Arts and Humanities Research Council supported my graduate studies. I am the author of Religion, Narrative and Public Imagination in South Asia for Routledge (2012), as well as edited volumes on the Literary Construction of Place in Asia (for Orientalia Vilnensia) and on Genealogy and History in Pre-modern South Asia, with Simon Brodbeck (for Religions of South Asia). I am also the editor, with Laxshmi Greaves, of the new Oxford Handbook of Hindu Literature (forthcoming). In addition to this, I have written numerous scholarly articles on Sanskrit, Pali and vernacular sources, which span ancient, medieval and modern South Asia, as well as Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Sikh tradition. I have also published on Christianity in early South Asia and nineteenth century missionary history. 

Honours and awards

Large Grants (as Principal Investigator)

• 2013-16: AHRC Research Grant: The Story of Story in South Asia: Character, Genre and Role Across Hindu, Buddhist and Jain Narrative Traditions. K£370 over three years.
• 2008-11: AHRC Early Career Research Grant: The History of Genealogy, The Genealogy of History: Family and the Narrative Construction of the Significant Past in Early South Asia. K£200 over three years.

Small Grants, Fellowships etc.

• 2016: Co-convenor, with Simon Brodbeck, of 41st Spalding Symposium. Funded by the Spalding Foundation.
• 2012: Visiting Fellowship: Lumbini International Research Institute, Nepal..
• 2007: International Research Collaboration Award from Cardiff University in order to take up Visiting Professorship Invitation from University of British Columbia, Canada.
• 2002: Visiting doctoral student at the University of Pune and Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune, India.

Honours and Distinctions

• 2000: University of Manchester Brandon Memorial Prize for excellence in first year doctoral research.
• 1996: University of Manchester award for highest overall graduating mark in department for BA.

Professional memberships

I have been a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society and the Royal Historical Society

Academic positions

August 2018 to Present: Professor of the Religions of South Asia

September 2018 - September 2023: Head of the School of History, Archaeology and Religion

August 2014 to July 2017:

Reader in Indian Religions, Cardiff University, School of History, Archaeology and Religion (SHARE)

August 2009 to July 2014:

Senior Lecturer in Indian Religions, Cardiff University, School of History, Archaeology and Religion (SHARE)

July 2003 to July 2009:

Lecturer in Indian Religions, Cardiff University, School of Religious and Theological Studies (RELIG)

Committees and reviewing

I have reviewed for many major academic publishers (Oxford, Routledge etc.).

I have reviewed for multiple journals publishing in my field of study.

I have served as a recurrent panel member and chair for research grant applications for both the Arts and Humanities Research Council and Research and Innovation UK.

Supervisions

I am available to supervise dissertations on all aspects of the history of Sanskrit religious literature, as well as projects that explore South Asian narrative traditions. I am particularly interested in projects that work across South Asian religions and those which take up issues of the use of traditional narrative in politics, cultural memory and the negotiation of group identitites (from the earliest times to the present).