Yoga, a form of embodied self-development with historical roots in the philosophy of southern Asia has become a global phenomenon. As such, the practice of yoga reflects the way in which Asia and Asian Studies in the contemporary moment must be understood in terms of the modernity of globalization. This lecture provides a critical perspective on the twists and turns of tradition that reflects the dislocation of area studies and the value of an inter-disciplinary perspective on cultural history.
Speaker Bio:
Joseph S. Alter is the Director of the Asian Studies Center and Professor of Anthropology at the University of Pittsburgh. He also serves as the editor of The Journal of Asian Studies which is the official publication of the Association for Asian Studies and the flagship journal in its field. His research focuses on modern yoga and he is currently studying the way in which yoga and Nature Cure establish an “ecology of the body” within the rubric of Public Health. He is also the academic director of the Pitt in the Himalayas Program.
To attend this lecture remotely via Zoom, please register here.