Gananath Obeyesekere
Professor of Anthropology, Emeritus, Princeton University

Trobriand Rebirth and the Fate of the Soul: An Old Debate Revisited
Tuesday, March 18, 2003 -- 4:10 p.m.
Toll Room, Alumni House, University of California, Berkeley

A distinguished anthropologist and highly recognized scholar, Gananath Obeyesekere has made fundamental contributions in the fields of philosophy of religion, social theory, psychological anthropology, and Buddhism. He is currently engaged in fieldwork in remote regions of Sri Lanka studying the manner in which hunting groups influenced Buddhist practices. Much of his research has focused on psychoanalysis and anthropology, and the ways in which personal symbolism is related to religious experience. Obeyesekere has published numerous articles and reviews. His recent books include, "Buddhism Transformed" (1990), “The Apotheosis of Captain Cook: European Mythmaking in the Pacific” (1993), and “Imagining Karma: Ethical Transformation in Amerindian, Buddhist and Greek Rebirth” (2002).

Obeyesekere is Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at Princeton University where he has taught since 1980, and has previously chaired his department. In 1955 he received his B.A. with first class honors from the University of Ceylon. He earned his M.A. from the University of Washington 1955 and his Ph.D. in 1964. Obeyesekere has received many prestigious honors and awards and has been elected a fellow of several societies, including the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, the National Humanities Center, and senior fellow of the Institute for Asian Studies.

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