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James Fitzgerald

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My research and writing centers upon the translation of the 2000 year old, gigantic Indian epic, the Mahābhārata, and the interpretation of it as a work of religious and political literature in its historical context. I am the general editor of the University of Chicago Press ten volume translation of the Mahābhārata and am also the translator for a large segment of the Mahābhārata presenting hundreds of chapters of religious and philosophical teachings that form the foundation of classical Hindu religions. This segment of the Mahābhārata comprises about twenty percent of the whole epic and my contribution forms Volumes 7 and 8 of the series. I have also developed an important research tool for literary and historical investigation of the Sanskrit text of the epic, a comprehensive database of the more than 18,500 lines of the epic that are in not in the epic’s standard poetic meter.

I cross back and forth between ‘humanistic’ presentations of some of the most powerful ideas, images, and symbols that developed in India and ‘scientific’ presentations of the general psychological, sociological, political, and cultural processes that make the religious history of India a superb example of ‘religion’ everywhere. I particularly enjoy teaching the course on Religion and Modern Literature (RS 313), which I usually flavor strongly with the writing of Indian authors or writing about India. The most exciting development in my teaching, as of January, 2006, is the first offering of the department’s important new course introducing our students to the systematic study of texts and traditions, RS 401. This course is a cross-cultural and multi-disciplinary introduction to the study and use of ‘the woven word’ in the history of human religions and should eventually become a core course in the Religious Studies major. Finally, I occasionally have the deep satisfaction of teaching a two-year course in Sanskrit, when particularly hardy, linguistically attuned students with a strong interest in India turn up.

Other interests include games of all kinds, starting with chess and ending with the NFL and the Tennessee Titans.

Education

  • Ph.D. in South Asian Languages and Civilizations, University of Chicago, 1980
  • MA in South Asian Languages and Civilizations, University of Chicago, 1974
  • BA in Civilizational Studies, University of Chicago, 1971

Fields of Interest

  • Mahābhārata
  • Epic Literature
  • Indian Philosophy
  • Early Traditions of Sāṃkhya and Yoga
  • Sanskrit
  • Philosophy of Religion
  • Psychology of Religion
  • Literature
  • Hermeneutics
  • Linguistics

Current Courses

  • 11:10-12:25 TR - 313 Religious Aspects of Modern Literature (3) (#001)
  • 2:10-3:25 TR - 401 Texts and the Study of Texts (3) (#003)
James Fitzgerald

Contact Information

James Fitzgerald
Professor
501 McClung Tower
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-0450

Phone: 865-974-2466
Email: jfitzge1@utk.edu