| 1 | Name: | Dr. Wendy Doniger | |
| Institution: | University of Chicago | ||
| Year Elected: | 1996 | ||
| Class: | 4. Humanities | ||
| Subdivision: | 405. History and Philology, East and West, through the 17th Century | ||
| Residency: | Resident | ||
| Living? : | Living | ||
| Birth Date: | 1940 | ||
Wendy Doniger is accomplished in the study of myth, especially Hindu mythology. One of the most influential scholars in the field, she has helped introduce a generation to a concept of myth with special reference to themes of creation, the erotic and the deceptive. A respected teacher and speaker, Dr. Doniger has been Mircea Eliade Professor of History of Religions at the University of Chicago since 1986 while also serving as director of the university's Martin Marty Center. She earned her Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1968 as well as a D. Phil. from Oxford University in 1973. A member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, Dr. Doniger is also the author of numerous articles, such as in The New York Times Book Review, and has served as editor of History of Religions and the Journal of the American Academy of Religion. Her many books include Asceticism and Eroticism in the Mythology of Siva (1973) and Dreams, Illusion and Other Realities (1984), and she has also edited Mythologies, an English-language edition of the 1,300 page Dictionnaires des Mythologies. Among her latest works are The Hindus: An Alternative History (2009) and The Ring of Truth: Myths of Sex and Jewellery (2017). | |||