David Shulman
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| David Shulman | |
|---|---|
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| Name | David Shulman |
| Birth date | 1949 |
| Birth place | New York City |
| Occupation | Scholar, professor, activist |
| Employer | Hebrew University of Jerusalem |
| Alma mater | Harvard University, Columbia University |
| Known for | Research on Telugu literature, South Asian studies, Indology |
David Shulman is a scholar of South Asian languages and literature, a poet, and a political activist whose work spans Indology, comparative literature, and human rights. He has held academic positions in Israel and the United States and is noted for translations and critical studies of Telugu and Sanskrit texts, as well as commentary on contemporary issues in South Asia and Israel. His career combines philological scholarship with public engagement on cultural and political matters.
Early life and education
Born in New York City, Shulman completed undergraduate studies at Harvard University before pursuing graduate work at Columbia University. During his formative years he studied classical and modern languages, including Telugu and Sanskrit, under scholars associated with Indology and South Asian studies programs at American universities. He conducted field research in India, working with literary communities in Andhra Pradesh and collaborating with poets and scholars connected to institutions such as University of Hyderabad and local Telugu academies. His early mentors included figures active in comparative philology and linguistic anthropology who were affiliated with centers like SOAS University of London and University of Chicago.
Academic career and positions
Shulman joined the faculty of Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he served in departments that intersect with South Asian studies, Comparative Literature, and Indology. He has been a visiting professor and fellow at institutions including University of California, Berkeley, Oxford University, and the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). His affiliations have connected him to research centers such as the American Oriental Society and the Israel Institute for Advanced Studies. Through these positions he contributed to graduate programs linked with Tel Aviv University and collaborated with scholars from Columbia University and Princeton University on projects in classical philology and modern literary theory.
Major works and publications
Shulman’s publications include monographs, translations, and edited volumes that bridge traditional philology and modern literary criticism. Notable books address Telugu poetic traditions, Bhakti literature, and medieval Sanskrit aesthetics, often presented alongside annotated translations. He has published critical editions in the tradition of scholars associated with Cambridge University Press and Oxford University Press, and his essays have appeared in journals linked to Modern Philology, Journal of Asian Studies, and Comparative Literature. He translated key Telugu works into English and edited collections that brought regional texts into dialogue with scholarship from Harvard University Press and Princeton University Press. His editorial collaborations have connected him with contributors from Jawaharlal Nehru University and University of Chicago Press.
Research interests and contributions
Shulman’s research centers on Telugu literature, Bhakti movements, Sanskrit poetics, and the intersections of language, ritual, and performance. He has produced philological analyses of medieval Telugu poets and assessed their place within broader South Asian literary histories that include traditions studied at Banaras Hindu University and University of Madras. His comparative approach engages with theories developed by scholars at École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales and Columbia University while situating regional literatures in relation to texts preserved in repositories such as the Asiatic Society collections. Shulman’s contributions include new readings of devotional hymns, investigations into manuscript transmission linked to archives in Tirupati and Hyderabad, and application of literary theory influenced by thinkers associated with Yale University and University of California, Los Angeles. He has also written on translation theory and the politics of textual editing as practiced by institutions like British Library and National Archives of India.
Awards and honors
Shulman’s scholarship has been recognized with awards and fellowships from academic bodies and funding agencies. He has received fellowships from institutions such as the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities and participated in grant programs supported by organizations like the National Endowment for the Humanities and the European Research Council. His work has been cited in prize discussions connected to presses like Cambridge University Press and recognized by scholarly societies including the American Oriental Society and the Modern Language Association. He has been invited to lecture at conferences convened by Association for Asian Studies and to deliver named lectures at universities such as University of Oxford and Harvard University.
Personal life and activism
Beyond academia, Shulman has been active in civil society and human rights debates, participating in organizations linked to B’Tselem and public forums associated with Amnesty International events in Israel. He has written opinion pieces and engaged in activist networks that include academics from Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University, and international partners at Columbia University and University of California, Berkeley. His public interventions address cultural policy, minority rights, and peace initiatives involving interlocutors from Palestinian Authority discussions and peace groups tied to Geneva or Oslo frameworks. In addition to scholarly writing, he publishes poetry and translations that bring Telugu and Sanskrit verse into conversation with contemporary literary movements represented by poets associated with Poetry Society of America and international literary festivals at venues like Hay Festival.
Category:Hebrew University of Jerusalem faculty Category:Indologists Category:Telugu literature scholars