Lawrence Alan Babb

Lawrence Alan Babb is the Willem Schupf Professor of Asian Languages & Civilizations and an Emeritus Professor of Anthropology, Amherst College, Massachusetts. He specializes in Indian civilization, and Asian Religion and Society. He is an author of numerous books on rituals, caste system, myths, beliefs and  ritual practices in South Asian society and religions.

Early life and academic career

In 1963, Lawrence Alan Babb received a baccalaureate with distinction at the University of Michigan and graduated in Anthropology with honors. He went on to complete his MA in anthropology at the University of Rochester in June 1965 and passed his Ph.D. qualifying examination in spring, 1965. He attended The University of Wisconsin for Hindi language studies in Summer (1965) and The University of Chicago for Hindi language and South Asia area studies (1965–1966).

In 1969 he was awarded a PhD by the University of Rochester after his  'fieldwork' based research in Raipur District, Madhya Pradesh, India. His thesis was titled “Systemic Aspects of Chhattisgarhi Religion: An Analysis of a Regional Variant of Popular Hinduism”.

From 1968 to 1969, he worked as a teaching Intern at the South Asia Language and Area Center, University of Chicago. In 1976 he was a visiting part time faculty member at the Williams College. His tenure at the Amherst College began as an assistant Professor of Anthropology in 1968. He was promoted to associate Professor in 1975 and to full Professor in 1980.He has remained at the college for more than 50 years now, serving various Committees. He served three times as the Chairperson of the Asian Studies Program (later Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations) and was the Chairperson, Department of Anthropology-Sociology.

Alan visited Jaipur in India during 1990 as a Fulbright Senior Research Fellow. He has numerous research papers to his credit. His research encompasses different facets of Jainism and Hinduism including society, caste, religion, local politics, temples, and rituals among others.

Honours

·        1963-1965   National Defense Education Act Fellowship

·        1965-1968   Foreign Area Fellowship

·        1973-1974   Amherst College Trustee Faculty Fellowship (for fieldwork in Singapore)

·        1978-1979   American Institute of Indian Studies Senior Research Fellowship (declined).

Indo-American Fellowship (supported research on modern religious movements in Delhi)

·        1986     NEH Summer Stipend (for research on Jainism in Ahmedabad)

·        1990-1991   Fulbright Senior Research Fellowship (research on Jain community in Jaipur)

·        1995    Amherst Faculty Fellowship (for preliminary work on merchant caste histories and clan goddesses in Rajasthan)

·        1996-1997   American Institute of Indian Studies Senior Research Fellowship (research on origin myths, group identity, and clan goddesses among trading castes of Rajasthan.

·        1996-1998 Getty Grant Program in support of collaborative research on Western Indian temples with Michael Meister and John Cort.

·        2000    Amherst Faculty Fellowship (for research on legal prohibition of animal sacrifice in Rajasthan).

·        2002    Amherst Faculty Fellowship (for preliminary research on globalization and Jaipur's gemstone trade)

·        2005 Senior Research Fellowship (NEH, administered by American Institute of Indian Studies) to support research on Jaipur's gemstone industry

References

This article "Lawrence Alan Babb" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Lawrence Alan Babb. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

📰 Article(s) of the same category(ies)

• Garrison Cottrell
• David Garcia (professor)
• Janet Afary
• Megan Dunn (American politician)
• Aurora Rey
• Alvaro Cartea
• Margaret Arlene Payne

---