The Harvard Asia Center has sanctioned a three-year collaborative and interdisciplinary research project on comparative Pan-Asian mythology, organized by M. Puett and M. Witzel.
Fifteen local colleagues (so far, from East to West:) are joining in the effort:
E. Cranston, R. Gimello, L. van der Kuijp, O. Skjaervo, P.A. Beaulieu, P. Steinkeller, P. Machinist, W. Heinrichs, G. Nagy, K. Patton, J. Harris, F. Marlowe, H. Fleming (BU), and L. Sullivan
Aims
- Comparison of complete systems of local and regional mythologies, not as customary a comparison of individual myths.
- Establishing the underlying patterns of Pan-Asian mythology, especially those of cosmogony.
Plan
This is a three year project:
- 1st year: a pilot program in comparative mythology. We will concentrate on establishing some baselines, starting from a proposal made in Mother Tongue VI, 2001 that provides the outline of reconstructed, early pan-Eurasian mythology.
- 2nd, 3rd year: extensive interdisciplinary work with geneticists, linguists and archaeologists. Ongoing work indicates emerging regional and pan-continental patterns, connections and exchanges reflecting the early settlement of Eurasia and patterns of early mythical thought, before and after the African exodus.
Procedure
- Cooperation by specialists in various languages and cultures is absolutely necessary as to avoid the numerous mistakes commonly made due to lack of background in the fields involved. We envision regular cooperation, and substantiation by repeated testing.
Download PDF of the underlying theory and procedures for the project.
Meetings
- The project includes a number of informal meetings where particular mythologies or individual problems are discussed.
- In 2005, the focus has shifted to Japan and China.
Materials
- Electronically available files, pictures and .pdfs are stored or linked here, for easy access to the major mythological texts of various traditions.
- This list of materials will be constantly updated.
Conference
We plan a small conference each year, in conjunction with the yearly interdisciplinary Round Tables on Ethnogenesis in South & Central Asia, held in mid May since 1999. We will gradually expand our “audience” beyond the Harvard/Boston area and will invite international colleagues in the special areas that we will focus on, from philology to genetics.
2005 Round Table Papers
