Ben Williams

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Institutional Affiliation 

Hinduism and Yoga Studies, Naropa University

Education

BA in Religion, University of Vermont. 

MTS (Masters of Theological Studies) in Hindu Studies, Harvard Divinity School.

PhD in South Asian Studies, Harvard University

Regional and Thematic Interests

History of Indian Religions, Indian Philosophy, Intellectual History of Kashmir Shaivism, Sanskrit Literature and Literary Theory.

Profile

Williams received his PhD in the Department of South Asian Studies at Harvard University. In addition to a broad training in the history of Indian religions, and sustained study of Indian philosophy and literature in Sanskrit sources, Williams is a specialist in the tantric traditions of premodern India. His doctoral thesis is on the theory of revelation and the figure of the tantric guru in the writings of the great tenth- to eleventh-century polymath, Abhinavagupta.

Selected Publication

“Abhinavagupta’s Portrait of a Guru: Revelation and Religious Authority in Kashmir.” PhD dissertation. Harvard University, 2017.