Tim Lubin
@timlubin.bsky.social
Historian of religion and law in premodern S&SE Asia, Sanskrit & Old Javanese philologist, interdisciplinarian, art spouse. Head of Law, Justice & Society program at WLU. VP of American Society for Premodern Asia. https://timothylubin.net/
Pinned
Tim Lubin
@timlubin.bsky.social
· Sep 10
Provincialising Dharma: Studies on Legal Issues in the Himalaya, a collection of essays exploring the Himalayan regional dimensions of dharma, historically & today, is out: www.asiainstitutetorino.it/cis/CIS_10.pdf including my piece, "Sacred Law as a Device of State-Building in Gorkhali Nepal."
This talk by Vasudha Narayanan on connections between India and Cambodia in 1st millennium religion and art will be worth tuning in for. www.sai.uni-heidelberg.de/en/events-at...
The Churning of the Milk Ocean - South Asia Institute
www.sai.uni-heidelberg.de
January 17, 2026 at 2:05 PM
This talk by Vasudha Narayanan on connections between India and Cambodia in 1st millennium religion and art will be worth tuning in for. www.sai.uni-heidelberg.de/en/events-at...
Reposted by Tim Lubin
My article on kinship ties, Buddhism, and early medieval states has just been published. Available open access: doi.org/10.1163/9789...
Chapter 7 Ties of Blood on Monuments of Piety: Buddhism, Kinship, and Rule in Āndhradeśa
"Chapter 7 Ties of Blood on Monuments of Piety: Buddhism, Kinship, and Rule in Āndhradeśa" published on 27 Nov 2025 by Brill.
doi.org
December 4, 2025 at 5:26 PM
My article on kinship ties, Buddhism, and early medieval states has just been published. Available open access: doi.org/10.1163/9789...
"Under the Spell of the Batur Volcano," a fascinating study by Brigitta Hauser-Schäublin of a Balinese Hindu temple beside Lake Batur in the caldera of a volcano came out days before I drove a scooter up the twisting road from the coast to see it (pics below). OA Book link: brill.com/display/titl...
January 2, 2026 at 1:27 PM
"Under the Spell of the Batur Volcano," a fascinating study by Brigitta Hauser-Schäublin of a Balinese Hindu temple beside Lake Batur in the caldera of a volcano came out days before I drove a scooter up the twisting road from the coast to see it (pics below). OA Book link: brill.com/display/titl...
Reposted by Tim Lubin
Issue 145:4 of the JAOS is out online doi.org/10.7817/jaos... , with articles on: Yahwists in Elephantine, oracular law in Assyria, syntax in Qur'anic interpretation, r vs rr in Khotan, Mongol text of the 1413 Tyr stele, Old Chinese parts of speech, Song dynasty incense trade, and more!
December 12, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Issue 145:4 of the JAOS is out online doi.org/10.7817/jaos... , with articles on: Yahwists in Elephantine, oracular law in Assyria, syntax in Qur'anic interpretation, r vs rr in Khotan, Mongol text of the 1413 Tyr stele, Old Chinese parts of speech, Song dynasty incense trade, and more!
11 in-depth studies on inscriptions from early Āndhradeśa in South India, touching on coins, pottery, grant charters, memorial stones, and religious pluralism (Buddhist, Jainist, and Hindu). Open Access download from Brill: brill.com/edcollbook-o... (this is v. 2, the studies; v. 1, also available).
December 7, 2025 at 12:13 PM
11 in-depth studies on inscriptions from early Āndhradeśa in South India, touching on coins, pottery, grant charters, memorial stones, and religious pluralism (Buddhist, Jainist, and Hindu). Open Access download from Brill: brill.com/edcollbook-o... (this is v. 2, the studies; v. 1, also available).
Reposted by Tim Lubin
The American Society for Premodern Asia web portal is now live on our new domain name: www.aspa1842.org
December 7, 2025 at 3:43 AM
The American Society for Premodern Asia web portal is now live on our new domain name: www.aspa1842.org
Astonishing finds excavated at Berenike in Egypt include Buddha images & other artifacts from India and some made locally in Indian style, plus a bilingual Sanskrit & Greek dedicatory inscription found near a marble Buddha head in an Isis temple courtyard.
publications.dainst.org/journals/jdi...
publications.dainst.org/journals/jdi...
December 2, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Astonishing finds excavated at Berenike in Egypt include Buddha images & other artifacts from India and some made locally in Indian style, plus a bilingual Sanskrit & Greek dedicatory inscription found near a marble Buddha head in an Isis temple courtyard.
publications.dainst.org/journals/jdi...
publications.dainst.org/journals/jdi...
Important group of new studies on the "Kawi culture" that grew out of the use of the Old Javanese in the 8th-15th c. as a cosmopolitan vernacular by speakers of various languages, esp. in Java & Bali. Lots of exciting new work in this field. Wacana 26(3), free download: scholarhub.ui.ac.id/wacana/
November 25, 2025 at 12:38 AM
Important group of new studies on the "Kawi culture" that grew out of the use of the Old Javanese in the 8th-15th c. as a cosmopolitan vernacular by speakers of various languages, esp. in Java & Bali. Lots of exciting new work in this field. Wacana 26(3), free download: scholarhub.ui.ac.id/wacana/
Reposted by Tim Lubin
Edel Rodriguez’s “Mayor Mamdani” (November 4, 2025) www.newyorker.com/culture/cove...
November 5, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Edel Rodriguez’s “Mayor Mamdani” (November 4, 2025) www.newyorker.com/culture/cove...
Few examples suvive of written statute law from early S&SE Asia, but I propose that one might infer the existence of generally applicable, enforceable laws from immunities granted in charters: "Customary Legalism: Rules of Law in Early India, Java, and Bali" www.ioc.u-tokyo.ac.jp/news/news.ph...
東文研セミナー 「Customary Legalism: Rules of Law in Early India, Java, and Bali (A Lecture by Prof. Timothy Lubin)」が開催されました
報告 2025年9月24日に、当研究所訪問研究員であるTimothy Lubin教授（Washington and Lee University）を講師とする東文研セミナー「Customary Legalism: Rules of Law in Early India, Java, and Bali 」を開催した。
www.ioc.u-tokyo.ac.jp
October 11, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Few examples suvive of written statute law from early S&SE Asia, but I propose that one might infer the existence of generally applicable, enforceable laws from immunities granted in charters: "Customary Legalism: Rules of Law in Early India, Java, and Bali" www.ioc.u-tokyo.ac.jp/news/news.ph...
Rioting and arson have engulfed Kathmandu in the wake of the govt's aborted attempt to censor or block access to social media. These brave souls sat out to protect Nepal's cultural heritage.
September 10, 2025 at 11:04 AM
Rioting and arson have engulfed Kathmandu in the wake of the govt's aborted attempt to censor or block access to social media. These brave souls sat out to protect Nepal's cultural heritage.
Provincialising Dharma: Studies on Legal Issues in the Himalaya, a collection of essays exploring the Himalayan regional dimensions of dharma, historically & today, is out: www.asiainstitutetorino.it/cis/CIS_10.pdf including my piece, "Sacred Law as a Device of State-Building in Gorkhali Nepal."
September 10, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Provincialising Dharma: Studies on Legal Issues in the Himalaya, a collection of essays exploring the Himalayan regional dimensions of dharma, historically & today, is out: www.asiainstitutetorino.it/cis/CIS_10.pdf including my piece, "Sacred Law as a Device of State-Building in Gorkhali Nepal."
Reposted by Tim Lubin
JAOS 145.3 is out: doi.org/10.7817/jaos..., articles on: autobiog of becoming, Ming women's anger, an old term for foreigners in China, cuneiform word lists, neo-Babylonian chronicles, the epic of Aqhat, Tabari's poetic license, bustling Buddhist monasteries, the aims of Sanskrit doxography, & more!
September 5, 2025 at 6:34 AM
JAOS 145.3 is out: doi.org/10.7817/jaos..., articles on: autobiog of becoming, Ming women's anger, an old term for foreigners in China, cuneiform word lists, neo-Babylonian chronicles, the epic of Aqhat, Tabari's poetic license, bustling Buddhist monasteries, the aims of Sanskrit doxography, & more!
"‘Yala Toilet Frog’ named for departing Tea Board chairman." “I’m deeply gratified...” says Pethiyagoda. "If [those I've annoyed find] a frog in the toilet, I'm sure their actions will speak louder than words. Or they can simply drop the matter.”
archives1.dailynews.lk/2018/03/21/l...
archives1.dailynews.lk/2018/03/21/l...
archives1.dailynews.lk
July 24, 2025 at 7:07 AM
"‘Yala Toilet Frog’ named for departing Tea Board chairman." “I’m deeply gratified...” says Pethiyagoda. "If [those I've annoyed find] a frog in the toilet, I'm sure their actions will speak louder than words. Or they can simply drop the matter.”
archives1.dailynews.lk/2018/03/21/l...
archives1.dailynews.lk/2018/03/21/l...
Reposted by Tim Lubin
Issue 145:2 of the JAOS is out online: doi.org/10.7817/jaos... with articles on: Regal code-switching in the Deccan, r-clusters in Gandhari, omens in Song shu, 3 Qing compendia on cats, the Semitic perfect tense, Joseph in Egypt, counting lines in Erra, basmala as cosmic design, and gendering sex!
June 14, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Issue 145:2 of the JAOS is out online: doi.org/10.7817/jaos... with articles on: Regal code-switching in the Deccan, r-clusters in Gandhari, omens in Song shu, 3 Qing compendia on cats, the Semitic perfect tense, Joseph in Egypt, counting lines in Erra, basmala as cosmic design, and gendering sex!
Superb new OA article by Jarrah Sastrawan sorts through the complex issues of provenance, "ownership," and violence as they bear on #cultural #heritage claims & repatriation, by exploring the precolonial history of the "Lombok Treasure" & "Lombok Collection" of manuscripts. doi.org/10.1163/2213...
Violence in the Library
Abstract There are mounting campaigns to repatriate cultural heritage objects that were wrongfully seized under colonial rule. Studying the history of these objects before their encounters with coloni...
doi.org
June 6, 2025 at 4:06 AM
Superb new OA article by Jarrah Sastrawan sorts through the complex issues of provenance, "ownership," and violence as they bear on #cultural #heritage claims & repatriation, by exploring the precolonial history of the "Lombok Treasure" & "Lombok Collection" of manuscripts. doi.org/10.1163/2213...
A delightful bit on the world's oldest map of the world. www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUxF...
The Babylonian Map of the World with Irving Finkel | Curator’s Corner S9 Ep5
YouTube video by The British Museum
www.youtube.com
June 1, 2025 at 5:08 PM
A delightful bit on the world's oldest map of the world. www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUxF...
Posted a forthcoming study of how the Gorkha kings deployed Hindu sacred law (dharma) in 18th- & early 19th-c. Nepal to integrate ethnic groups as castes within a multiethnic kingdom — in the shadow of late Mughal/early Company-raj India.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
April 22, 2025 at 3:03 AM
Posted a forthcoming study of how the Gorkha kings deployed Hindu sacred law (dharma) in 18th- & early 19th-c. Nepal to integrate ethnic groups as castes within a multiethnic kingdom — in the shadow of late Mughal/early Company-raj India.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Reposted by Tim Lubin
To everyone (justifiably) applauding @harvard.edu 's response to the fed. administration's demands: that letter is only part of the story. Harvard's new website went public in coordination with Harvard Pres. #AlanGarber 's letter. It's completely revamped--and it's brilliant. www.harvard.edu. (1/8)
Harvard University
Harvard University is devoted to excellence in teaching, learning, and research, and to developing leaders who make a difference globally.
www.harvard.edu
April 15, 2025 at 5:48 PM
To everyone (justifiably) applauding @harvard.edu 's response to the fed. administration's demands: that letter is only part of the story. Harvard's new website went public in coordination with Harvard Pres. #AlanGarber 's letter. It's completely revamped--and it's brilliant. www.harvard.edu. (1/8)
After the decades of agony that uprooted the monarchy at last, violent agitation to restore it cannot be merely "the people’s discontent with Nepal's political establishment." The yearning for a king is the yearning for the old order by those who benefited from it. www.himalmag.com/podcast/nepa...
Pranaya Rana on Nepal’s royalist resurgence: State of Southasia #21
In early March this year, a massive gathering of some 10,000 royalist supporters gathered to greet Nepal's former king, Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah, as he returne
www.himalmag.com
April 16, 2025 at 8:17 PM
After the decades of agony that uprooted the monarchy at last, violent agitation to restore it cannot be merely "the people’s discontent with Nepal's political establishment." The yearning for a king is the yearning for the old order by those who benefited from it. www.himalmag.com/podcast/nepa...
Reposted by Tim Lubin
Fascinating Mughal order reveals a history of 18th century India the right-wing doesn’t want you to know!
Over 250-years-old Mughal document throws light on tax waiver for pilgrims at Allahabad
Discover a 250-year-old firman from Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II granting religious autonomy to Ganga pilgrims.
www.thehindu.com
April 16, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Fascinating Mughal order reveals a history of 18th century India the right-wing doesn’t want you to know!
Reposted by Tim Lubin
At the 235th Meeting yesterday, we voted to continue our work under a new name: the American Society for Premodern Asia. We invite all scholars who work on languages, literatures, history, and material culture of West, Central, South, and East Asia, and North Africa join us! #ancient #medieval #asia
April 13, 2025 at 3:57 AM
At the 235th Meeting yesterday, we voted to continue our work under a new name: the American Society for Premodern Asia. We invite all scholars who work on languages, literatures, history, and material culture of West, Central, South, and East Asia, and North Africa join us! #ancient #medieval #asia
Reposted by Tim Lubin
ACLS President Joy Connolly has published a new opinion piece in the @chronicle.com calling for collaboration among higher education institutions in response to the current political climate: bit.ly/3E9Fdaq
Joy Connolly Calls for Collaboration Among Higher Education Institutions in Chronicle Op-Ed
In The Chronicle of Higher Education, Joy Connolly calls for collaboration among higher education institutions in responding to the current political climate.
bit.ly
April 4, 2025 at 4:55 PM
ACLS President Joy Connolly has published a new opinion piece in the @chronicle.com calling for collaboration among higher education institutions in response to the current political climate: bit.ly/3E9Fdaq
Reposted by Tim Lubin
Discontent does only so much to explain the revival of royalist politics in Nepal.
Amish Raj Mulmi writes about what's fuelling the recent violent pro-monarchy protests:
Amish Raj Mulmi writes about what's fuelling the recent violent pro-monarchy protests:
The incomplete end of Nepal’s Hindu monarchy
Pro-monarchy protests reveal Nepal’s incomplete transition from Hindu kingdom to secular republic, fuelled by nationalist myths and Hindutva
www.himalmag.com
April 7, 2025 at 4:30 AM
Discontent does only so much to explain the revival of royalist politics in Nepal.
Amish Raj Mulmi writes about what's fuelling the recent violent pro-monarchy protests:
Amish Raj Mulmi writes about what's fuelling the recent violent pro-monarchy protests:
Reposted by Tim Lubin
I hope other university alliances start pooling resources and engaging in the kinds of collective action Rutgers is proposing here for the Big Ten.
senate.rutgers.edu/report/resol...
senate.rutgers.edu/report/resol...
April 7, 2025 at 12:29 AM
I hope other university alliances start pooling resources and engaging in the kinds of collective action Rutgers is proposing here for the Big Ten.
senate.rutgers.edu/report/resol...
senate.rutgers.edu/report/resol...