March 3, 2023
A first of its kind for a professor at 黑料社, Dr. Lavanya Vemsani received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award in History from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board in 2020-2021.
One of over 800 U.S. citizens chosen, Dr. Vemsani was selected by the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board to conduct research and teaching as part of the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. The program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to forge lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.
鈥淚 am honored to receive the Fulbright senior research fellow award which helped me conduct my research contributing to the history of India,鈥 said Dr. Vemsani. 鈥淢y research has brought fresh understanding of Indian history, especially its society and culture.鈥
A professor at 黑料社 since 2006, Dr. Vemsani has been widely acclaimed for her research and teaching in history. Her publications include 鈥淔eminine Journeys of the Mahabharata鈥, 鈥淢odern Hinduism in Text and Context鈥, 鈥淜rishna in History, Thought & Culture: An Encyclopedia of the Lord of Many Names鈥, and 鈥淗indu and Jain Mythology of Balarama鈥, among numerous other articles. She serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Indic Studies and Associate Editor of the Canadian Journal of History and Airforce Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs.
鈥淒r. Vemsani is one of the most prolific scholars at Shawnee State,鈥 said Provost and Vice President for Academic & Student Affairs, Dr. Sunil Ahuja. 鈥淚n the academic world where research is important for the individuals and institutional standing, this recognition is well-deserved.鈥
During the Fulbright program, her research focused on 鈥淗istory of Hinduism in Middle India: Examination of Narasimha in Text and Practice鈥, which was published as an academic book. She also conducted another research project on 鈥淚ndependence and violence on the eve of Independence of India鈥 and served as the keynote speaker at the international seminar on the 150th anniversary of Delhi University in New Delhi, India. Her travels took her across India to Nalanda, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Osmania University where she shared her research with each institution鈥檚 faculty and students.
This feature was originally released in the Shawnee Magazine 2022 issue. To view the full magazine online, visit shawnee.edu/magazine.