Launch of “Astral Sciences in Trans-Regional Asia” (ASTRA) Research Group
- Dec 10, 2024
- Institute News
- Max Planck Research Group (ASTRA)
- Anuj MisraJacob Schmidt-Madsen
On October 10, 2024, the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (MPIWG) celebrated the launch of the Research Group “Astral Sciences in Trans-Regional Asia” (ASTRA), led by Anuj Misra. Along with an opening reception on this day, the group launched with a week-long series of public talks, panel discussions, and workshops from October 7 to October 12.
Taking a novel approach to investigating the history of astral knowledge in Asian discourses, focusing on creative transformations and cross-cultural movements, ASTRA adopts a trans-regional perspective and delves into the thematic richness of Asian astral sciences through three key thematic domains: Transmission, Translocation, and Transcreation. These interrelated and often overlapping thematic domains explore the ways in which astral knowledge was communicated, transported, and integrated across Asia throughout history.
Click to view photo gallery.
Introduction by Anuj Misra, Source: Sandra Prengel, 2024.
Guests playing board games, Source: Sandra Prengel, 2024.
Jacob Schmidt-Madsen explains board games, Source: Sandra Prengel, 2024.
Close-up of board game, Source: Sandra Prengel, 2024.
Guests as the ASTRA launch, Source: Sandra Prengel, 2024.
Guests playing board games, Source: Sandra Prengel, 2024.
Close-up of board game, Source: Sandra Prengel, 2024.
Jacob Schmidt-Madsen showcasing a board game, Source: Sandra Prengel, 2024.
Event Highlights
Throughout the opening week, ASTRA hosted a range of events, including workshops, talks, and panel discussions with Kenneth G. Zysk (University of Copenhagen), Clemency Montelle (University of Canterbury), Annapurna Mamidipudi (MPIWG), Tillmann Taape (Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin), Anuj Misra, and Jacob Schmidt-Madsen.
The opening reception began with a welcome introduction by MPIWG Director Dagmar Schäfer, followed by an introduction to the central research themes and areas of ASTRA by Anuj Misra. A highlight was the choral performance of by the Śānti Choir (HU Berlin) that sang an abridged version of the hymn (4.51) to Uṣaś (Dawn) from the Rig Veda.
After the formal welcome and introduction, ASTRA Postdoctoral Scholar Jacob Schmidt-Madsen showcased an interactive exhibition of games during the reception. Engaging with three encyclopedic game texts written in Sanskrit, Jacob’s research explores how living traditions of games are codified as knowledge and brought into conversation with the universe. With Jacob’s guidance, guests were invited to play games and engage in performative astronomy themselves.
Acknowledgements
The events of the ASTRA opening week were made possible by the dedication and hard work of Research Group Assistant Aiu Ylä-Outinen.