Devotees bathing at Lohagarh, Rajasthan, 2015. Photo: T. Williams.
Session 11: The haptic
What does it meant to know something through touch? And is our experience of ‘images’ only through sight, or do we use other senses and means to perceive, comprehend, and interact with them? In many South Asian traditions of thought, the visual and the haptic (the sense of touch) are closely intertwined and both play a role in an individual’s perception of space and their position within it (proprioception).
Readings:
Kakar, Sudhir. “Radhasoami: The Healing Offer.” In J.S. Hawley and Vasudha Narayanan, The Life of Hinduism.
Session 12: Touch, transformation, and transubstantiation
Is it possible to touch without being touched? What does it mean to ‘share in the substance’ of something? In this session we will explore these questions in the context of religion, caste, and philosophy.
Jaaware, Aniket. “Chapter Six: (Un)touchability of Things and People.” Practicing Caste: On Touching and Not Touching. New York: Fordham University Press, 2019. 149-168.