
Manasicha Akepiyapornchai, "Surrender to God Across Languages: Multilingual Intellectual History of Premodern India" (Oxford UP, 2026)
From New Books in South Asian Studies by New Books Network
June 11, 2026 · 39 min
About this episode
This episode features Manasicha Akepiyapornchai discussing the multilingual intellectual history of premodern India through six theological treatises.
Surrender to God Across Languages: Multilingual Intellectual History of Premodern India (Oxford UP, 2026) explores the role of languages in the intellectual landscape of second-millennium India by way of six theological treatises composed between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries, each written by a key intellectual figure: Vātsya Varadaguru, Periyavāccān Pillai, Meghanādari Sūri, Pillai Lokācārya, and Vedāntadeśika. Drawing on theories of language politics and translation, Manasicha Akepiyapornchai proposes a new theoretical framework of "language sphere" to better capture the linguistic and intellectual interaction from a micro perspective. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/south-asian-studies
People in this episode
Guest: Manasicha Akepiyapornchai
Topics covered
- multilingualism
- intellectual history
- theology
- language politics
- premodern India
- translation
Keywords
- multilingual intellectual history
- premodern India
- theological treatises
- language sphere
- language politics
- translation
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Oxford UP
Books & works: Surrender to God Across Languages: Multilingual Intellectual History of Premodern India
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