Thomas Roger Trautmann is an American historian, cultural anthropologist, and Professor
Emeritus
''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...
of History and Anthropology at the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
. He is considered a leading expert on the ''
Arthashastra
The ''Arthashastra'' ( sa, अर्थशास्त्रम्, ) is an Ancient Indian Sanskrit treatise on statecraft, political science, economic policy and military strategy. Kautilya, also identified as Vishnugupta and Chanakya, is ...
'', the ancient Hindu text on statecraft, economic policy, and military strategy, written in
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
. Trautmann has mentored many students during his tenure at the University of Michigan. His studies focus on
ancient India
According to consensus in modern genetics, anatomically modern humans first arrived on the Indian subcontinent from Africa between 73,000 and 55,000 years ago. Quote: "Y-Chromosome and Mt-DNA data support the colonization of South Asia by m ...
, the history of anthropology, and other related subjects. Trautmann's work in
Indology
Indology, also known as South Asian studies, is the academic study of the History of India, history and Culture of India, cultures, Languages of South Asia, languages, and Indian literature, literature of the Indian subcontinent, and as such is a ...
has been credited with illuminating the underlying economic philosophy that governed ancient Indian kinship. He has also written book-length studies on both Dravidian and American Indian kinship. His most recent study concerns the use of the elephant in ancient India.
Trautmann began as an assistant professor in 1968, teaching his entire career at Ann Arbor until he was awarded emeritus status. He has served as director of the University of Michigan History Department, as well as head of the Center for South Asian Studies. From 1997 to 2006, he served as the editor of ''
Comparative Studies in Society and History
''Comparative Studies in Society and History'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal published quarterly by Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent b ...
''. He was honored with a
festschrift
In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...
in 2011. Born and raised in
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...
, he completed his undergraduate work at
Beloit College
Beloit College is a private liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin. Founded in 1846, when Wisconsin was still a territory, it is the state's oldest continuously operated college. It is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest and has ...
and holds a PhD from the
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
,
Faculty profile
/ref> where he wrote his dissertation on the structure and composition of the Sanskrit text ''Arthasastra'' (published in book form in 1971).
Works
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References
Further reading
* – review of 1997 work
* – interview
– a review by the Indian historian, D. N. Jha.
21st-century American historians
21st-century American male writers
American Indologists
Living people
Alumni of the University of London
University of Michigan faculty
Beloit College alumni
Historians of South Asia
Historians of India
Sanskrit–English translators
1940 births
21st-century translators
American male non-fiction writers
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