The elephant-headed god Ganesha riding his mouse (anonymous artist)
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Carthage’s popular Hannibal Lecture Series welcomes University of Chicago professor and eminent Hindu mythology scholar Wendy Doniger on Thursday, Dec. 5.

Prof. Doniger will give a talk titled “The Logical Paradox of Hindu Creation Myths — Beginnings and their Ends: An East/West Dialogue.” The lecture will begin at 4:15 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union Auditorium.

Prof. Doniger is the Mircea Eliade Distinguished Service Professor of the History of Religions at the University of Chicago. She also holds appointments in the University of Chicago’s Department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations, and the Committee on Social Thought. Her courses in mythology address themes in cross-cultural expanses, such as death, dreams, and evil. Her courses in Hinduism cover a broad spectrum that, in addition to mythology, considers law, literature, gender, and zoology. She is the author of more than 30 books, including The Origins of Evil in Hindu Mythology; Splitting the Difference: Gender and Myth in Ancient Greece and India; The Woman Who Pretended to Be Who She Was; and Other Peoples’ Myths: The Cave of Echoes. She holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Harvard University, and a D.Phil. from Oxford University. Read more about Prof. Doniger.

Prof. Doniger’s talk on Dec. 5 will explore Hindu and Biblical creation myths, and consider the hidden assumptions in both approaches to the question: What is the ultimate origin of it all — the universe, the human race, and the individual human being?

A favorite on campus, the Hannibal Lecture Series features Carthage faculty and scholars from around the country. Learn more at www.carthage.edu/hannibal-lectures.