Polish Contributions to South Asian Studies

This book compiles the works of Polish academics presented at the ECSAS 2016, the 24th European Conference on South Asian Studies, which was held from July 27 to 30, 2016, at the University of Warsaw. The event was organized by the Polish Oriental Society alongside the University of Warsaw's Chair of South Asian Studies within the Faculty of Oriental Studies. As the largest and most prestigious gathering in Europe dedicated to South Asian research, it marked its debut in Poland. The conference featured 49 panels and a keynote speech titled "Asia, Europe and America in the Making of Caste" by Professor Sumit Guha from the University of Texas at Austin. Scholars from nearly 40 countries participated, making the event a vibrant hub for academic exchange. It also offered a valuable platform for Polish scholars, particularly emerging ones, to gain prominence on the international stage compared to when ECSAS is hosted elsewhere.This collection aims to enhance the visibility of Polish scholarship in European South Asian studies by showcasing the diverse research interests of Polish academics involved in this field. Most contributions focus on South Asian materials, spanning classic Sanskrit texts to contemporary works in Hindi and Panjabi, as well as early modern sources in Braj or Rajasthani.