Annual Sociology Lecture Series - Lecture 5: Adi Sankara's Soundariya Lahiri and Solomon's Song of Songs : The Questions of History, Myth, and Legend

 The fifth lecture of the Annual Sociology Lecture series was organized on 6th April 2021 by Socius and DSSWA. The lecture was delivered by Dr Susan Visvanathan on the topic ‘Adi Sankara’s Soundariya Lahiri and Solomon’s Song of Songs: The Questions of History, Myth and Legend’.

Pooja welcomed the gathering and introduced our esteemed speaker.

Dr Susan gave a functional analysis of the stories of Sankaracharya and Solomon’s Song of Songs. She discussed the methodological challenges in studying myth and mythology, the relevance of myths and legends in understanding Indian history and society, and the rising popularity of mythology-inspired works in the past decade. The discussion on patriarchy and the representation of women in mythology was another interesting aspect of the lecture.

The lecture was followed by a Q&A session where Dr Susan also elaborated on the methodological challenges in studying myth and mythology. She gave examples of scholars like Mircea Eliade, who has made immense contributions to the field of religious studies.

The session concluded with a vote of thanks by Archana.