Edward Cameron Dimock Jr. (March 18, 1929 January 11, 2001) was an American author, linguist, scholar of
Asian studies
Asian studies is the term used usually in North America and Australia for what in Europe is known as Oriental studies. The field is concerned with the Asian people, their cultures, languages, history and politics. Within the Asian sphere, Asian ...
and emeritus professor at the
University of Chicago. He is known for his contribution to Indian studies such as
Bengali literature
Bengali literature ( bn, বাংলা সাহিত্য, Bangla Sahityô) denotes the body of writings in the Bengali language and which covers Old Bengali, Middle- Bengali and Modern Bengali with the changes through the passage of time ...
and
South Asian
South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, ...
civilizations. He also conducted research on religion in the mid-1950's and introduced
Bengal studies
Bengal studies ( bn, বঙ্গবিদ্যা; ''Bangabidya'') is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to the study of the Bengali people, culture, language, literature, and history. The focus of this field, which qualifies as area s ...
to the American academy.
Biography
Education
He was born on March 18, 1929, in
Roslindale,
Massachusetts. In 1946, he graduated from
Roxbury Latin School.
In 1954, he became an ordained minister after obtaining a Masters of Sacred Theology.
In 1959, he went to
Yale University and
Harvard Divinity School where he obtained his Ph.D.
Career
He started his career as an assistant professor of linguistics and Asian languages at the faculty of the University of Chicago where he taught for 35 years. He played a central role at the Chicago University for introducing the department of South Asian languages and civilizations, for which he was promoted to the rank of professor in 1966.
In the mid-1950's, he travelled to India along with his family to conduct research on religion. After traveling to India, he published several scholarly books, including ''Mr. Dimock Explores the Mysteries of the East'' (Algonquin, 1999), consisting a detailed account of his personal analysis and experiences in India.
His other scholarly publications include ''The Thief of Love: Bengali Tales from Court to Village'', ''The Place of the Hidden Moon: Erotic Mysticism in the Vaisnava-Sahajiya Cult of Bengal'', and ''The Caitanya-Caritamrta of Krsnadasa Kaviraja'' among others.
He served president of the
American Institute of Indian Studies from 1972 to 1986. In 1962, he along with
Milton Singer
Milton Borah Singer (July 5, 1912 – 1994) was a leading American anthropologist and expert on Indian studies. He was a professor at the University of Chicago. Singer was the first to use the phrase Semiotic Anthropology in 1978.
Biography
Singer ...
played significant role with the help of
W. Norman Brown to establish Indian studies institute at the
University of Pennsylvania which was later shifted to University of Chicago in 1972.
He retired in November 1993 and then moved to
Centerville, Massachusetts
Centerville is one of the seven villages in the Town of Barnstable, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. Located on the South Side of Barnstable, Centerville is primarily residential, and includes a small business district as well as several notable beach ...
, with his wife.
Death
He died on January 11, 2001, from cancer. He is survived by two daughters, three sons and a brother, George of Harvard.
Awards and honours
He received various literary awards over the course of his career, including the Desikottama, equivalent of a Doctorate honoris causa, by Visva Bharati University established by Rabindranath Tagore, in 1992 which was awarded him for his contribution to Bengali literature.
He also received literary honour by the
Sahitya Akademi and was elected to the
Sahitya Akademi Fellowship
The Sahitya Akademi Fellowship is a literary honour in India bestowed by the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters.Quote: "In his acceptance speech when India's National Academy of Letters (Sahitya Akademi) in 1997 conferred its h ...
from 1929-2001.
Publications
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References
External links
Contributor profile of Edward C. Dimockat
Encyclopædia Britannica
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dimock, Edward C.
1929 births
2001 deaths
Roxbury Latin School alumni
Harvard Divinity School alumni
University of Chicago Divinity School faculty
Writers from Boston
Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship
Yale University alumni