Ass. Prof. in South Asian Religions at McGill

Assistant Professor- Position in South Asian Religions, School of Religious Studies 

The School of Religious Studies at McGill University (Montreal, Canada) invites applications for a tenure-­track faculty position in the area of South Asian Religions, with a focus on gender and/or sexuality, at the rank of Assistant Professor. Exceptionally qualified candidates may be considered at the rank of Associate.  


Position Description:
We seek a dynamic colleague capable of expanding and enriching an already strong program in Asian Religions at McGill who is prepared to teach at undergraduate and graduate levels. 

The appointment begins August 1, 2023.  


Job Duties: 

The candidate will also be expected to teach at undergraduate and graduate levels; to contribute to graduate seminars in theory and method offered by the School of Religious Studies.  


Qualifications and Education Requirements:
The candidate is expected to have received the PhD prior to appointment.  

This position calls for specialization in the study of South Asian Religions alongside substantive engagement with the wider fields of Religious Studies, South Asian Studies, and Gender Studies, including relevant theoretical and methodological approaches.   

Preference will be given to candidates who have an excellent overall research profile; research competence in at least two South Asian languages, ideally, one modern and one classical; and the ability to teach broad courses that cover South Asian religious traditions in interreligious and regional perspectives.

Faculty/Department/Unit:
School of Religious Studies 

For further information about the School of Religious Studies, visit: http://www.mcgill.ca/religiousstudies.   

For more information on the study of Asian Religions at the School of Religious Studies, visit:  

https://www.mcgill.ca/religiousstudies/graduate/research-areas-and-fields-study/asian-religions.

Job Type:
Tenure-track

Rank:
Assistant Professor

Salary:
Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Posting Period: 

Applications should be received by November 1, 2022 to guarantee full consideration, but will be accepted until the position is filled.   

Applications must be submitted online through Workday, McGill’s employment portal    

(https://mcgill.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/mcgill_careers).  


Required Documents: 

Applicants should submit the following:  

a letter of application (addressing qualifications, research, and teaching interests);  

a Curriculum Vitae; relevant teaching materials;  

and one representative writing sample or scholarly publication.  

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to submit three letters of recommendation at the relevant stage of review. 

Inquiries: 

Inquiries may be addressed to Ms. F. Maniaci, Administrative Officer, School of Religious Studies (francesca.maniaci@mcgill.ca), or to the chair of the search committee, Prof. Hamsa Stainton (hamsa.stainton@mcgill.ca). 

McGill University is committed to equity and diversity within its community and values academic rigour and excellence. We welcome and encourage applications from racialized persons/visible minorities, women, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, and persons of minority sexual orientations and gender identities, as well as from all qualified candidates with the skills and knowledge to engage productively with diverse communities. 

At McGill, research that reflects diverse intellectual traditions, methodologies, and modes of dissemination and translation is valued and encouraged. Candidates are invited to demonstrate their research impact both within and across academic disciplines and in other sectors, such as government, communities, or industry. 

McGill further recognizes and fairly considers the impact of leaves (e.g., family care or health-related) that may contribute to career interruptions or slowdowns. Candidates are encouraged to signal any leave that affected productivity, or that may have had an effect on their career path. This information will be considered to ensure the equitable assessment of the candidate’s record. 

McGill implements an employment equity program and encourages members of designated equity groups to self-identify. It further seeks to ensure the equitable treatment and full inclusion of persons with disabilities by striving for the implementation of universal design principles transversally, across all facets of the University community, and through accommodation policies and procedures. Persons with disabilities who anticipate needing accommodations for any part of the application process may contact, in confidence, accessibilityrequest.hr@mcgill.ca

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply; however, in accordance with Canadian immigration requirements, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. 


Further information on this application: https://mcgill.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/mcgill_careers/details/Assistant-Professor–Position-in-South-Asian-Religions–School-of-Religious-Studies_JR0000031192

Professorship of Indology in Leipzig advertised

The Institute of South and Central Asian Studies at the Faculty of History, Arts and Oriental Studies seeks to fill the following professorship from 1 April 2021:
W3-Professorship in Indology

(Successor to Professor Eliahu Franco) (more…)

Sanskrit lecturer (5ys) in Oxford

The Faculty of Oriental Studies at Oxford is now advertising for a Departmental Lecturer in Sanskrit to cover a period of research leave. The role is a fixed-term position for a period of 5 years from 1 September 2020 to 31 August 2025. For more information please see here: https://my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecruit/erq_jobspec_version_4.jobspec?p_id=145962

Post-Doc positions in Global Philosophy of Religion (how exciting!)

I received from Yujin Nagasawa (via Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad):

I am starting a new Templeton-funded project called the Global Philosophy of Religion (https://www.global-philosophy.org/). The aim of the project is to promote research involving philosophers of religion from all religious traditions and geographical regions. As part of the project, we are advertising three postdoctoral fellowships – in Hindu philosophy of religion, Islamic philosophy of religion and Jewish philosophy of religion – as well as a senior lectureship in philosophy of religion (tradition unspecified).

The list of the positions are published here: https://www.global-philosophy.org/vacancies

I would be most grateful if you could forward it to people who may be interested in any of the positions.

—–
Yujin Nagasawa
H. G. Wood Professor of the Philosophy of Religion
School of Philosophy, Theology and Religion
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston, Birmingham
B15 2TT
United Kingdom

Web: http://www.yujinnagasawa.co.uk

How to deal with Sanskrit words in an English article

I already discussed in this post how to transcribe Sanskrit, and how to separate Sanskrit words in transcription. Here I would like to address a further problem many of my students appear to encounter, namely how to deal with Sanskrit words in an article.

First of all, how many Sanskrit words should you keep in your article? The answer depends on your audience. If you address an audience of non-Sanskritists, use as few Sanskrit words as possible. If you address a Sanskritist audience, use Sanskrit words in parentheses the first time you introduce a given translation, so that readers can understand what you mean by your translation, e.g.:

Authors of Dharmakīrti’s school think that linguistic communication (śabda) is not an independent instrument of knowledge (pramāṇa), but should rather be subsumed under inference (anumāna).

Then, the next time you’ll speak of inference, etc., you will not need to explain which term you are translating. You do not need to use the Sanskrit words in case it is obvious or irrelevant. If, for instance, you want to discuss Dharmakīrti’s soteriology, it is probably not needed to say that when you speak of `word’ he used pada and so on. In other words, focus on just a few termini technici for which you want to give the Sanskrit equivalent. Sanskrit words are italicised and therefore attract the attention of the reader. Use them sparingly or your reader will be just confused.

A further connected issue is: In which form should you mention Sanskrit words? As usual, consistency is key. You can decide among of the following three options, but then stick to it:

  1. You mention the word’s stem (e.g., puruṣa, ātman, pratyakṣa).
  2. You mention the word in the nominative singular (e.g. puruṣaḥ, ātmā, pratyakṣam).
  3. You mention the word in the case in which it is mentioned in the sentence you are translating (e.g. “A person’s (puruṣasya) self (ātmā) cannot be grasped through sense-perception (pratyakṣena).
What you should avoid is mixing the three methods, and especially the first two.

Now, you might think that these are all details and are not as important as the thesis you want to convey in your article. This is true, but your peer-reviewers will be disturbed by your sloppiness and annoyed. They might even be inclined to think that your translations are probably also sloppy, given that you are not even able to transcribe Sanskrit accurately. Don’t risk a rejection because of inaccuracy. What do experienced readers think? What annoys you as reader? What do you recommend to students?

 

Professor by special appointment: Diversifying Philosophy (Amsterdam)

Are you a philosopher with a passion for academic teaching and research in diversifying philosophy? If so, please apply at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU). Location: AMSTERDAM FTE: 0.2

Job description The chair for “Diversifying Philosophy” will contribute to diversifying academic philosophy and making this diversity visible to a broader audience. The professor by special appointment preferably does so through research and teaching in the field of non-Western philosophy.

Your duties
  1. you will develop and teach a course in the Bachelor of Philosophy and/or a relevant Master track, preferably in the field of non-Western philosophy
  2. you will do research, preferably in the field of non-Western philosophy, resulting in publications in academic journals and academic lectures, and (preparing) grant applications
  3. you undertake activities for valorization in the field of your research and teaching, e.g. in the shape of public lectures

Requirements
  • you have a PhD in philosophy and enjoy a good research reputation, as shows from publications in (national and) international media
  • you have ample experience in leading philosophy research projects and supervising PhD students
  • you have demonstrable experience in translating the results of your research for a broader audience
  • you have ample teaching experience and are an inspiring teacher
  • you have excellent command of the English language
  • What are we offering? This chair by special appointment (“bijzondere leerstoel”) is a rotating chair. Appointment will be for a period of 2,5 years, with the possibility of a second appointment for another 2,5 years. This chair is non-salaried and is supported with an annual bench fee of € 2.500,-.

    As desired by the chair holder, work for this chair can either be concentrated in a couple of shorter periods, or spread over the entire period. The appointment is for 8 hours a week on average. In accordance with VU policy, this chair is open only to external candidates.

    Additionally, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers excellent fringe benefits and various schemes and regulations to promote a good work/life balance, such as: a wide range of sports facilities which staff may use at a modest charge (Thanks to Catarina Dutilh Novaes for pointing out this position).

    https://workingat.vu.nl/ad/bijzonder-hoogleraar-actuele-themas/xdayuc

Endowed Chair in Philosophy at Yale-NUS College (Singapore)

The Yale–NUS College at Singapore recently opened a position for “non Western philosophy”.
Please read all further details here:

https://www.yale-nus.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Job-Ad-for-Endowed-Chair-in-Philosophy-Kwan-Im-Thong-Hood-Cho-Temple.pdf

(thanks to Elise Coquereau-Saouma for the pointer!)