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Tim Lubin @timlubin.bsky.social · 21d

For what it's worth, in Account Settings > AI Settings you can opt out of AI use of your Academia.edu uploads

Tim Lubin @timlubin.bsky.social · Sep 10

Rioting and arson have engulfed Kathmandu in the wake of the govt's aborted attempt to censor or block access to social media. These brave souls sat out to protect Nepal's cultural heritage.

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Tim Lubin @timlubin.bsky.social · Sep 10

Provincialising Dharma: Studies on Legal Issues in the Himalaya, a collection of essays exploring the Himalayan regional dimensions of dharma, historically & today, is out: www.asiainstitutetorino.it/cis/CIS_10.pdf including my piece, "Sacred Law as a Device of State-Building in Gorkhali Nepal."

"Map of the Dominions of the House of Gorkha" by B. Hamilton (1819)

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Reposted by Tim Lubin

American Society for Premodern Asia @aspa1842.bsky.social · Sep 5

JAOS 145.3 is out: doi.org/10.7817/jaos..., articles on: autobiog of becoming, Ming women's anger, an old term for foreigners in China, cuneiform word lists, neo-Babylonian chronicles, the epic of Aqhat, Tabari's poetic license, bustling Buddhist monasteries, the aims of Sanskrit doxography, & more!

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Tim Lubin @timlubin.bsky.social · Jul 24

"‘Yala Toilet Frog’ named for departing Tea Board chairman." “I’m deeply gratified...” says Pethiyagoda. "If [those I've annoyed find] a frog in the toilet, I'm sure their actions will speak louder than words. Or they can simply drop the matter.”

archives1.dailynews.lk/2018/03/21/l...

archives1.dailynews.lk

Tim Lubin @timlubin.bsky.social · Jun 16

That scam is seems designed to push people toward pirate copies. Since I don't *have* to use textbooks in my (non-Sanskrit) classes, I avoid them -- and any ludicrously costly books.

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American Society for Premodern Asia @aspa1842.bsky.social · Jun 14

Issue 145:2 of the JAOS is out online: doi.org/10.7817/jaos... with articles on: Regal code-switching in the Deccan, r-clusters in Gandhari, omens in Song shu, 3 Qing compendia on cats, the Semitic perfect tense, Joseph in Egypt, counting lines in Erra, basmala as cosmic design, and gendering sex!

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Tim Lubin @timlubin.bsky.social · Jun 6

Superb new OA article by Jarrah Sastrawan sorts through the complex issues of provenance, "ownership," and violence as they bear on #cultural #heritage claims & repatriation, by exploring the precolonial history of the "Lombok Treasure" & "Lombok Collection" of manuscripts. doi.org/10.1163/2213...

Violence in the Library

Abstract There are mounting campaigns to repatriate cultural heritage objects that were wrongfully seized under colonial rule. Studying the history of these objects before their encounters with coloni...

doi.org

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Tim Lubin @timlubin.bsky.social · Jun 1

A delightful bit on the world's oldest map of the world. www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUxF...

The Babylonian Map of the World with Irving Finkel | Curator’s Corner S9 Ep5

YouTube video by The British Museum

www.youtube.com

Tim Lubin @timlubin.bsky.social · May 29

Dumb toothbrushes are still an option, even in the 21st century.

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Tim Lubin @timlubin.bsky.social · May 29

You should not regret it! I've read the dissertation and found it informative & enjoyable, w an artfully done translation. It opens up a fascinating but little-known world to your readers. Maybe as a career move, it did not work out as planned ... but you wrote an excellent book! Never a bad thing.

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Tim Lubin @timlubin.bsky.social · Apr 22

Posted a forthcoming study of how the Gorkha kings deployed Hindu sacred law (dharma) in 18th- & early 19th-c. Nepal to integrate ethnic groups as castes within a multiethnic kingdom — in the shadow of late Mughal/early Company-raj India.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Detail of "Map of the Dominions of the House of Gorkha," by Buchanan Hamilton (1819)

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Reposted by Tim Lubin

Robin Bernstein @robinmbernstein.bsky.social · Apr 15

To everyone (justifiably) applauding @harvard.edu 's response to the fed. administration's demands: that letter is only part of the story. Harvard's new website went public in coordination with Harvard Pres. #AlanGarber 's letter. It's completely revamped--and it's brilliant. www.harvard.edu. (1/8)

Harvard University

Harvard University is devoted to excellence in teaching, learning, and research, and to developing leaders who make a difference globally.

www.harvard.edu

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Tim Lubin @timlubin.bsky.social · Apr 16

After the decades of agony that uprooted the monarchy at last, violent agitation to restore it cannot be merely "the people’s discontent with Nepal's political establishment." The yearning for a king is the yearning for the old order by those who benefited from it. www.himalmag.com/podcast/nepa...

Pranaya Rana on Nepal’s royalist resurgence: State of Southasia #21

In early March this year, a massive gathering of some 10,000 royalist supporters gathered to greet Nepal's former king, Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah, as he returne

www.himalmag.com

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Reposted by Tim Lubin

Mekhola Gomes @oldthingsarefun.bsky.social · Apr 16

Fascinating Mughal order reveals a history of 18th century India the right-wing doesn’t want you to know!

Over 250-years-old Mughal document throws light on tax waiver for pilgrims at Allahabad

Discover a 250-year-old firman from Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II granting religious autonomy to Ganga pilgrims.

www.thehindu.com

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Reposted by Tim Lubin

American Society for Premodern Asia @aspa1842.bsky.social · Apr 13

At the 235th Meeting yesterday, we voted to continue our work under a new name: the American Society for Premodern Asia. We invite all scholars who work on languages, literatures, history, and material culture of West, Central, South, and East Asia, and North Africa join us! #ancient #medieval #asia

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American Council of Learned Societies @acls1919.bsky.social · Apr 4

ACLS President Joy Connolly has published a new opinion piece in the @chronicle.com calling for collaboration among higher education institutions in response to the current political climate: bit.ly/3E9Fdaq

Joy Connolly Calls for Collaboration Among Higher Education Institutions in Chronicle Op-Ed

In The Chronicle of Higher Education, Joy Connolly calls for collaboration among higher education institutions in responding to the current political climate.

bit.ly

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Reposted by Tim Lubin

Himal Southasian @himalmag.bsky.social · Apr 7

Discontent does only so much to explain the revival of royalist politics in Nepal.

Amish Raj Mulmi writes about what's fuelling the recent violent pro-monarchy protests:

The incomplete end of Nepal’s Hindu monarchy

Pro-monarchy protests reveal Nepal’s incomplete transition from Hindu kingdom to secular republic, fuelled by nationalist myths and Hindutva

www.himalmag.com

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Reposted by Tim Lubin

Neil Lewis, Jr. @neillewisjr.bsky.social · Apr 7

I hope other university alliances start pooling resources and engaging in the kinds of collective action Rutgers is proposing here for the Big Ten.

senate.rutgers.edu/report/resol...

Whereas, the Big Ten Academic Alliance represents not only athletic competition but also a longstanding tradition of academic collaboration, research excellence, and commitment to democratic values and shared governance; Whereas, the Big Ten Academic Alliance includes 18 universities with thousands of instructors serving over 600,000 students; Whereas, the preservation of one institution’s integrity is the concern of all, and an infringement against one member university of the Big Ten shall be considered an infringement against all; Be it resolved that, the Rutgers University Senate urges the President of Rutgers University to formally propose and help establish a Mutual Academic Defense Compact (MADC) among all members of the Big Ten Academic Alliance; Be it further resolved that, under this compact, all participating institutions shall commit meaningful funding to a shared or distributed defense fund. This fund shall be used to provide immediate and strategic support to any member institution under direct political or legal infringement; Be it further resolved that, participating institutions shall make available, at the request of the institution under direct political infringement, the services of their legal counsel, governance experts, and public affairs offices to coordinate a unified and vigorous response, including but not limited to: Legal representation and countersuit actions; strategic public communication; amicus briefs and expert testimony; legislative advocacy and coalition-building; related topical research as needed.

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Tim Lubin @timlubin.bsky.social · Apr 7

New insights on how Śiva worship took shape in early India and Nepal!

ISTB University of Vienna, Austria @istb-univienna.bsky.social · Apr 7

Lay Practitioners, Ascetics, and Tāntrikas: Rituals and Society in Early Śaivism

On Thursday, April 10, at the CEU Center for Religious Studies in Vienna, Dr. Nina Mirnig will speak about negotiation, adaptation, and innovation in Śaivism during its formative phase:

events.ceu.edu/2025-04-10/l...

Of Lay Practitioners, Ascetics, and Tāntrikas: Rituals and Society in Early Śaivism

events.ceu.edu

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Tim Lubin @timlubin.bsky.social · Mar 25

Columbia University (bis alma mater mea!) caves fecklessly to brutal government tyranny. An ill omen for American academia ... until someone dares to resist.
robertreich.substack.com/p/the-shame-...

The shame of Columbia University

In surrendering to Trump, it's opening all universities to Trump's tyranny

robertreich.substack.com

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Tim Lubin @timlubin.bsky.social · Mar 21

Columbia U. faces a demand to sacrifice its academic freedom in exchange for $400M in federal funds. Too steep a price.

A Warning for Columbia University

Surrendering to the Trump administration’s $400 million ransom demand would be a disaster for higher education and for the United States.

www.theatlantic.com

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Tim Lubin @timlubin.bsky.social · Mar 21

Eminent Sanskritist Sheldon Pollock, the former MESAAS dept head at Columbia, writes that "like a mob boss, the government threatens to cut off two of the university’s fingers: academic freedom and faculty governance."

The US government has sent Columbia University a ransom note | Sheldon Pollock

Like a mob boss, the government threatens to cut off two of the university’s fingers: academic freedom and faculty governance

www.theguardian.com

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ERC Synergy MANTRAMS Project @mantrams.bsky.social · Mar 4

Special Project launch event (hybrid) at the The SOAS Centre of Yoga Studies with the three Principal Investigators of the ERC Synergy MANTRAMS Project, Carola Lorea, Finnian Gerety, and Borayin Larios. Register for (free) tickets… 1/

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Tim Lubin @timlubin.bsky.social · Mar 2

Follow @stlubin.bsky.social for visionary images of how ecosystems and human systems overlap. s3.amazonaws.com/images.icomp...

“Watershed: Marsh” (2022), by Laure Stevens-Lubin

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