Amateur Curiosity: Passion and Politics

Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR)

in association with 

The Department of History

Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady.

invites you to a Public Lecture on 

Amateur Curiosity: Passion and Politics

Speaker :- Professor Sanil V. 

Department of Humanities and Social Sciences 

Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi     

&

Scholar In Residence, KCHR

Date and Time: 11th October (Tuesday), 2022, 10.30 AM

(High tea at 10.00 AM)

Venue: Seminar Hall, Language Block,Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady 

Abstract: The social sciences see research as a method-driven activity. Does the curiosity of the amateur have any place within that viewpoint? Who is an amateur? How does he relate to knowledge and reality? The amateur's attitude towards ‘instantaneous felicity of a situation’ (Antoine Hennion ) and her or his narcissism ( the amateur does only what she/he loves)  may not be constrained by the familiar protocols of interdisciplinarity. In the talk, the speaker will  explore  the love for knowledge and the politics of amateur curiosity through a brief sketch of some contemporary Indian instances.

About the  Speaker: Sanil.V is Professor of Philosophy at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, India. He obtained his Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering and worked as a scientist in Defense Research and Development Organisation.  In 1995, he obtained his PhD in Philosophy from IIT Kanpur. His recent publications include: Kolayude Choreography (Prasakthi books and Uru Art Harbour), Public Sphere from Outside the West (ed. Bloomsbury, London), and essays including 'Nature and Evil: Gandhi and Ambedkar On Caste and Untouchability', 'Vastu Purusha Mandala: Myth, Meaning and Measurement in Ancient Indian Architecture', 'Time Passing: Kant Goes to Movies', 'On Hating One’s Own Children', 'Thought and Context: Philosophy on the Eve of Colonialism' and 'Spivak on the Value of Marx'. 

He has held fellowships in national and international centres including the Watumall Distinguished Professorshipat the Department of PhilosophyUniversity of Hawaii, USA; Charles Wallace Fellowship at the Department of Philosophy, University of Liverpool, U.K; and Directeur d'études Associés, at  Maison des sciences de l'homme Paris; and Research Excellence Fellowship, at CEU Budapest.  He writes and publishes in both English and Malayalam.