News

This term sees new students from an unprecedented range of backgrounds studying at OCHS. Each is bringing new interests, aims, and perspectives to the life of the Centre while qualifying for their Oxford degrees.

Every year existing OCHS students graduate to higher degrees or become full alumni of the Centre, teaching and publishing internationally in the field of Hindu Studies. And every year a new batch of undergraduate and masters students arrive from around the world. In October six new students began their studies here, each with a different story.

OCHS alumnus, research fellow, and Academic Administrator, Dr Jessica Frazier has published her first book, Reality, Religion, and Passion.

Big news for the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies iss the appointment of OCHS Academic Director Prof. Gavin Flood as ‘Professor of Oxford University’.

3 November 2008 sees the official launch of the Journal of Hindu Studies at the American Academy of Religion Conference in Chicago.

The Journal is a joint venture between the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies and Oxford University Press.

The Department of Cultural and Religious Studies (CRS), at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), - the oldest department of religious studies in the Chinese speaking world - has raised funding for a professorship in Indian Religions and Culture. This post was held by OCHS Fellow, Dr Kenneth Valpey in its inaugural year.

The OCHS Continuing Education Department held its first summer school here in Oxford in July. Anuradha Dooney devised and taught a weekend course along with Dr Jessica Frazier. As a pilot it was only advertised to a small group of our current Hindu Studies students, seventeen of whom attended. The response from students and teachers was very positive and it is hoped that this is a programme that can be developed in future years.

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The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies (OCHS) celebrates ten years of growth from humble beginnings in a suburban house to one of the worlds leading Hindu Studies centres building bridges between academia, tradition, and economics.

Thanks to kind donations by friends of the OCHS we are able to offer several bursaries in recognition of students’ academic excellence and hard work. These bursaries greatly benefit the recipients financially and the recognition of their work is further inspiration to excel.

In October 2006, Emerging Markets Group (EMG) invited OCHS to participate in discussions on the formation of a Dharma Index, identifying a gap in the market for ethical investment packages suited to Hindu needs. The OCHS’s role was to provide the academic underpinnings of the Index.