Nina Mirnig, Professorship of Cultural and Intellectual History of Pre-Modern South Asia

Contact Nina Mirnig

"Early Sanskrit culture forms the basis of numerous cultural, religious, philosophical and scientific traditions in South Asia - a region that today is home to around a quarter of the world's population and plays an important role in global political, economic and cultural events. Since the first millennium, Sanskrit-based cultural forms have spread far beyond the subcontinent to Central, Southeast and East Asia. By analysing Sanskrit text sources and inscriptions, some of which have not yet been researched, in conjunction with questions and methods of history, archaeology, art history and anthropology, I am working on making cultural networks and historical processes visible that still shape local identities and the handling of cultural heritage today. In this way, historical knowledge is utilised for current social debates about cultural heritage and its preservation, identity and intercultural understanding." (Nina Mirnig)

Research areas:

* Religious, cultural and intellectual history of South Asia (with a focus on 500-1200 AD)
* Development and literature of the Hindu Shaiva and Tantric traditions
* Religious and cultural history of early Nepal and the Himalayan region
* Inscription culture of South Asia
* Manuscript culture of South Asia
* Interdisciplinary research into cultural contacts and knowledge transfer in South Asia and beyond
* Interdisciplinary research on technological knowledge systems
* Preservation of cultural heritage

Curriculum Vitae:

2001-2004 Bachelor in Oriental Studies/Sanskrit, Oriental Institute, Oxford University, UK
2004-2005 Master of Studies in Oriental Studies/Sanskrit, Oriental Institute, Oxford University, UK
2005-2010 Doctor of Philosophy in Oriental Studies/Sanskrit, Oriental Institute, Oxford University, UK
2010-2013 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Institute of Indian Studies, University of Groningen, The Netherlands (Project: A Historical Enquiry Concerning the Composition and Spread of the Skandapurāṇa, Dutch Research Council, No. 360-63-050)
2013-2014 Jan Gonda Fellowship from the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, International Institute for Asian Studies, Leiden, The Netherlands
2014 Research Fellow, Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom (Project: The intellectual and religious traditions of South Asia as seen through the Sanskrit manuscript collections of the University Library, AHRC AH/I003789/1)
2014-2019 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Institute for the Cultural and Intellectual History of Asia, Austrian Academy of Sciences (Projects: Visions of Community, FWF F4208 and The Śivaliṅga Cult on the Eve of the Tantric Age, FWF P27838-G15)
2016-2024 External Lecturer, Department of South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies, University of Vienna
2019-2024 Elise Richter Award (PI), Institute for the Cultural and Intellectual History of Asia, Austrian Academy of Sciences (Project: Mapping Piety, Politics and Power in Early Medieval Nepal FWF V-755)
since 2020 Elected Member of the Young Academy, Austrian Academy of Sciences
since 2023 Key Researcher, FWF Cluster of Excellence “Eurasian Transformations” (FWF COE 8)
2023-2025 Research Associate (Tenure-Track) in the field of “Himalayan Connectivities”, Institute for the Cultural and Intellectual History of Asia, Austrian Academy of Sciences
since May 2025 Professorship for the Cultural and Intellectual History of Premodern South Asia, Department of South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies, University of Vienna