Robert J. Zydenbos
Encyclopedia
Robert J. Zydenbos is a Dutch
-Canadian
scholar who has doctorate degrees in India
n philosophy and Dravidian
studies. He also has a doctorate of literature from the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands
. Zydenbos also studied Indian religions and languages at the South Asia Institute and at the University of Heidelberg in Germany
. He taught Sanskrit
at the University of Heidelberg and later taught Jaina philosophy at the University of Madras
in India
. Zydenbos later taught Sanskrit, Buddhism
, and South Asian religions at the University of Toronto
in Canada
. He was the first western scholar to write a doctoral thesis on contemporary Kannada fiction.
R. Zydenbos is a strong opponent to some writers, like Koenraad Elst
or N. S. Rajaram, about the controversies pertaining to the Aryan Invasion Theory
, which Zydenbos sees as driven by political motives. Zydenbos wrote review articles in the Journal of the American Oriental Society. Moreover, he has written the first comprehensive Western history of Kannada literature and translated Kannada literature into both German
and English
. He also translated Dvaitin, Virasaiva, and Jaina writings from Sanskrit. He has lived in Mysore, India for 17 years.
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
-Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
scholar who has doctorate degrees in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n philosophy and Dravidian
Dravidian languages
The Dravidian language family includes approximately 85 genetically related languages, spoken by about 217 million people. They are mainly spoken in southern India and parts of eastern and central India as well as in northeastern Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Iran, and...
studies. He also has a doctorate of literature from the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. Zydenbos also studied Indian religions and languages at the South Asia Institute and at the University of Heidelberg in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He taught Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
at the University of Heidelberg and later taught Jaina philosophy at the University of Madras
University of Madras
The University of Madras is a public research university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the three oldest universities in India...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Zydenbos later taught Sanskrit, Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
, and South Asian religions at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He was the first western scholar to write a doctoral thesis on contemporary Kannada fiction.
R. Zydenbos is a strong opponent to some writers, like Koenraad Elst
Koenraad Elst
Koenraad Elst is a Belgian writer and orientalist .He was an editor of the New Right Flemish nationalist journal Teksten, Kommentaren en Studies from 1992 to 1995, focusing on criticism of Islam, various other conservative and Flemish separatist publications such as Nucleus, t Pallieterke,...
or N. S. Rajaram, about the controversies pertaining to the Aryan Invasion Theory
Aryan invasion theory
The term Aryan invasion theory may refer to*migrational scenarios of prehistorical Indo-Aryan migrations*in 19th and early 20th century racialism:** Historical definitions of races in India** Aryan race*in late 20th century:**Out of India theory...
, which Zydenbos sees as driven by political motives. Zydenbos wrote review articles in the Journal of the American Oriental Society. Moreover, he has written the first comprehensive Western history of Kannada literature and translated Kannada literature into both German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. He also translated Dvaitin, Virasaiva, and Jaina writings from Sanskrit. He has lived in Mysore, India for 17 years.
Published works
- 1997 - Zydenbos, Robert J. "Virasaivism, Caste, Revolution, Etc." Journal of the American Oriental Society, pp. 525, Vol. 117, Number 3, (July–September 1997). ISSN 0003-0279.