Aśōka and Writing in Historical Memory

Join us on Wednesday, April 8th at 2:00 for a lecture on stories about Aśōka in the Buddhist and Jain traditions by Professor Andrew Ollett, South Asian Languages & Civilizations, University of Chicago. Dr. Ollett's research focused on the “question of language”: the availability and choice of certain languages for certain purposes, and the role of language in cultural production and change. He is the author of "Language of the Snakes: Prakrit, Sanskrit, and the Language Order of Premodern India. Oakland," and "The Mirror of Ornaments (Alaṅkāradappaṇō): A Prakrit Work of Poetics."

Abstract

We all know Aśōka as the king whose stone inscriptions represent the earliest secure evidence for writing in South Asia. A number of recent discoveries have challenged the prevailing theory that writing, as we know it, was a relatively recent invention at Aśōka’s time (300-230 BCE). This talk will examine a number of stories connected with Aśōka in the Buddhist and Jain traditions, preserved in Sanskrit, Prakrit, Pali and Chinese, that discuss his use of and interactions with writing. Starting from what these stories were intended to convey to their listeners, I’ll speculate on their historical value.
 

Light refreshments will be served.