The Goddess in IndiaMaster ClassIn-Person
Friday, May 23, 2025
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m
Our partner, Safehold Inc., is hosting this event.
How do humans think about the divine feminine? This master class will engage with this question through the case study of India. We’ll start by looking at the earliest examples of the divine feminine, such as the Vedic goddess of speech, Vac, from 1500 BCE, then explore evidence of local goddesses that presided over rivers, streams, and local temples in the early classical period of Hinduism. Finally, we will discuss the evolution of those smaller female deities into the pan-regional great goddesses that we see today in contemporary Hinduism—Durga, Kali, and Lakshmi, among others. In discussing the myths of the great goddess, we will analyze both the potential and the hindrances in goddess mythology for the empowerment of human women.
SOUTHEAST ASIAN STUDIES, RELIGION & SPIRITUALITY, SOCIAL STUDIES, WOMEN'S STUDIES
Laurie L. Patton
Laurie L. Patton became president of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in January 2025 after serving as the first woman president of Middlebury College, where she led initiatives on conflict resolution, residential learning, renewable energy, and fiscal transparency. Previously, she was dean of Duke University’s Trinity College of Arts and Sciences and held leadership roles at Emory and Bard College. A scholar of South Asian history, religion, and public discourse, Patton has authored or edited ten scholarly books, three poetry collections, and a translation of The Bhagavad Gita for Penguin Classics. She earned her BA from Harvard and PhD from the University of Chicago, was president of the American Academy of Religion, and has been active in membership selection and democracy initiatives since her election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2018.