1
Myth as Mirror
Reflections on psychological and cultural expression
Myths read as psychological and cultural expressions rather than purely theological doctrines.
Oxford Centre for
Hindu Studies Online
Oxford Centre for
Hindu Studies Online
Masterclass
A five-week masterclass with Professor Wendy Doniger on myth, multiplicity, and the practice of reading a tradition.
In conversation with Dr Jessica Frazier
About the masterclass
Wendy Doniger's work opens up many layered ways of thinking about studying Hinduism — myth, interpretation, multiplicity, gender, desire, history, and the politics of representation.
Across five weekly conversations, Professor Doniger draws on six decades of scholarship to ask not only what we study when we study Hinduism, but how we read, listen, and respond to a tradition that has always thrived on multiplicity.
The Sessions
Each of the first four sessions takes one of Professor Doniger's books as a starting point. The closing session opens out into a wider reflection.
Reflections on psychological and cultural expression
Myths read as psychological and cultural expressions rather than purely theological doctrines.
Hinduism's resistance to a single narrative
Hinduism thrives on multiplicity. What does that mean for modern interpretations of texts, traditions, and identity?
History and the enduring Hindu imagination
A reflective session on The Hindus: An Alternative History — what the controversy revealed about freedom, faith, and representation.
Representations in Hindu lore
Representations of women, animals, and the marginal in Hindu stories — and what they tell us about who gets to speak.
Why study Hinduism?
How studying Hinduism enriches both scholarship and self-understanding — a closing conversation on the discipline itself.
Mircea Eliade Distinguished Service Professor Emerita of the History of Religions at the University of Chicago Divinity School
One of the most influential interpreters of Hindu myth and literature of our time, she is the author of more than forty books, including The Hindus: An Alternative History and Hindu Myths: A Sourcebook.
Her scholarship is distinguished by its clarity, imagination, and sensitivity to the richness, humour, and complexity of Hindu traditions. Her books constitute a body of work distinguished by intellectual fearlessness and lightness of touch.
"It is impossible to define myth, but it is cowardly not to try." The Cave of Echoes
Convenor
Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies
Dr Frazier is one of OCHS's most experienced scholars of Hindu philosophy and convenes the masterclass series. Her own research explores Hindu metaphysics, ethics, and the philosophy of nature, with particular attention to bringing classical texts into conversation with contemporary thought.
In this series she creates the space for Professor Doniger's reflections, drawing out the threads, asking the questions that need asking, and shaping the conversation.
Join Professor Doniger for five weekly conversations.