DSC

About the Conference

This conference aims to provide an annual platform to academic scholars who study dharma to congregate and discuss their work in India. These scholars can be located in a wide range of disciplines—from English and Comparative Literature to Philosophy and Linguistics, from History and Sociology to Anthropology and Economics, from Cinema and Media Studies to Political Science and Religious Studies. Their methodological emphases can also be wide ranging—from Textual Analysis and Field Studies to Culture Studies, Digital and Statistical Analysis. Orientations of their enquiries may also be diverse—from concentrations on gender and caste to focus on ecology and popular culture. The conference is primarily aimed at scholars who work in the Indian academia. Having said that, it is warmly open to International scholars who work on South Asia. What unites the conference is the scholars’ engagement with dharma, with the Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Sikh traditions.

A subfield of Religious Studies, Dharma Studies promotes critical, grounded as well as constructive enquiries into the Indic religious traditions, their histories, literatures, discursive as well material cultures, philosophies, rituals, music and dance. As we conceptualize the field, three core concerns stand out. First, the field is about the Indic life world the dharmic traditions constitute and share among themselves. Sensitive enquiries into this life world need to take into account both the long inheritances as well as evolutions. They also need to pay careful attention to the relationships between the dharmic traditions, their affinities and differences. Instead of positioning one against the other we are more interested to explore what they share, and enable dialogues between them. Second, this Indic life world acquired its modern forms and practices in the midst of other unfolding historical processes such as European colonialism as well as global capitalism. Hence, the interface between dharmic traditions, and European colonialism and global capitalism constitutes a central concern for our work. Third, we see the field particularly concerned with methods and languages. Training in standard academic methods of studying religion is essential for fruitful engagement with Indic traditions. So is competency in Indian classical and vernacular languages. Having said that, we believe, a comparative awareness of how methods and languages are employed in other sub-fields of religious studies, Jewish studies or Islamic studies for instance, helps in reflecting on their usage vis-à-vis Indic traditions. At the same time, we remain open to questions about limitations of available methods or necessity of evolving more specific theoretical models as regards the study of Indic religions.

The inaugural conference invites papers on four principal themes. ‘Social Justice and Dharmic Traditions,’ and ‘Gender Justice and Dharmic Traditions,’ constitute the first two. Our broad aim is to enquire into how the concept of justice is discussed in Dharmic Traditions and how Dharmic Traditions can provide conceptual and practice-based resources to argue for Social and Gender Justice. ‘Historiography of Dharma’ and ‘Institutions of Dharma’ are the two other principal themes. As regards the historiography of dharma, the aim is to see how Dharmic traditions are studied in Indian academia after independence—that is, to historicise their presence or absence in Indian history and other departments. As far as the institutions of dharma are concerned, we are interested to explore the principal institutions including temples, monasteries, printing presses, book shops, lending libraries, and digital platforms that have shouldered the responsibility of keeping dharmic traditions alive and available to the Indian public.

Moving beyond the four ‘Themes in Focus,’ the conference invites papers in a wide range of areas including but not confined to:

  • Retellings of Indian Epics
  • Visual Media and Dharmic Traditions
  • Dharma and Ecology
  • Music and Dance in Dharmic Traditions
  • Life Histories of Katha Vachaks
  • Dharmic Periodicals and their Publics
  • Dharma and Digital Communities
  • Histories of Family Worship
  • Deities and Temples
  • Animals and Dharmic Traditions
  • Disability and Dharmic
  • Narratives
  • Charity
  • Dharma and the Market
  • Manuscript Cultures
  • Pilgrimage Narratives
  • Dharma and Aesthetics
  • Dharma and Medical Humanities

About IIT Bhubaneswar

Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar was established in 2008 on the foothill of the magnificent Barunei Hill (the epicentre of Paik Rebellion), Khordha, Odisha. Spread across 936 acres, the Institute contributes to the study of Engineering, Science and Technology, Humanities and Social Sciences. Click here to know more about IIT Bhubaneswar: https://www.iitbbs.ac.in/

SHSSM, IIT Bhubaneswar

The School of Humanities, Social Sciences & Management at Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar corroborates many humanistic disciplines through teaching and research across Economics, English, Psychology, and Philosophy. The school’s aim is to help students develop the requisite communicative, analytic, critical and cultural knowledge to thrive in all aspects of their lives. Currently, the school offers courses on doctoral programs in Economics, English, psychology, and Philosophy. Along with these diverse academic departments, the school is home to a wide variety of interdisciplinary collaborations, path-breaking research projects, and unique areas of study.

Themes for the Conference

  • Retellings of Indian Epics
  • Visual Media and Dharmic Traditions
  • Dharma and Ecology
  • Music and Dance in Dharmic Traditions
  • Life Histories of Katha Vachaks
  • Dharmic Periodicals and their Publics
  • Dharma and Digital Communities
  • Histories of Family Worship
  • Deities and Temples
  • Animals and Dharmic Traditions
  • Disability and Dharmic
  • Narratives
  • Charity
  • Dharma and the Market
  • Manuscript Cultures
  • Pilgrimage Narratives
  • Dharma and Aesthetics
  • Dharma and Medical Humanities

Submissions and Publication Opportunities

Will be updated shortly

Partner Institutes

Department of English, University of Hyderabad 
Department of English, Banaras Hindu University 

Knowledge Partners

Bhaktivedanta Institute Bhubaneswar
Bhaktivedanta Research Centre Kolkata

Important Dates

Deadline for submission of abstracts: 31 August 2025
Intimation of acceptance: 10 September 2025
Deadline for registration: 20 September 2025

Registration Details

Delegates without accommodation: INR 2500/ OR USD 50

Delegates with in-campus guesthouse accommodation: (Faculty and independent researchers): INR 5500/ or USD 100 [This will include accommodation on a sharing basis at IITBBS or NISER guest house for three nights, conference kits, coffee and snacks at conference venue, conference lunch and special dinner.]

Delegates with in-campus hostel accommodation: (research scholars and students): INR 4000/ or USD 80 [This will include accommodation on a sharing basis at IITBBS hostels for three nights, conference kits, coffee and snacks at conference venue, conference lunch and special dinner.]

Delegates presenting online: INR 2000/ or USD 30

How to Reach

Railway Station: Khurda Road (Code: KUR) [7 kms]
Railway Station: Bhubaneswar (Code: BBS) [31 kms]
Biju Patnaik International Airport (Code: BBI) [27 kms]

For further details (Location and Maps), visit https://www.iitbbs.ac.in/index.php/home/how-to-reach/

Place of Interest

https://odishatourism.gov.in/content/tourism/en/discover/major-cities/bhubaneswar.html

Contact Us

For any information or query related to the conference, please email us at:

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