A distinctive Śākta imaginaire? On theory and method in the study of Hindu ‘Śāktism’

The goddess-oriented Śākta traditions comprise very influential but also very complex and challenging forms of Indian religiosity. This seminar series will introduce to central concepts and problems of the goddess traditions. The seminars will look into important theoretical and methodological questions with regard to the study of Hindu ‘Śāktism’. A special emphasis is placed on the interplay between text, ritual and sociocultural context in the formation and transmission of Śākta traditions.  Finally, insights from the seminars will be contextualized in a broader intellectual discussion in relation to models of the human and theories of the person.