Oxford Conference on Academic Exploration of Bhakti in Indian Philosophy

Date and Venue:

16 and 17 April 2026

Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies,

1 Pusey Lane,

Oxford OX1 2LE

A plenary online session has been added for the 20^th of April, due to overwhelmingly positive response. We are very thankful that the conference has resonated with many.

Registration

Due to the invitees-only nature of the conference, selected papers of Oxford students and early researchers will be given a chance to attend the conference in person. In person attendees will be contacted separately.

The conference is open to all interested in attending online.

Online attendees must register. Please find the link here.

About

Bhakti has been central to the intellectual, ethical, and cultural history of South Asia, shaping philosophical reflection, poetic expression, social life, and spiritual practice across centuries. Yet despite its depth, diversity, and mass appeal, Bhakti remains comparatively under-theorised within academic philosophy and is often approached in a fragmented manner across disciplines.

The Oxford Conference on Academic Exploration of Bhakti in Indian Philosophy aims to bring together scholars working on Bhakti across philosophy, philology, ethics, science, intellectual history, and lived religious practice. The conference seeks to examine Bhakti not merely as a devotional or cultural phenomenon, but as a philosophically rich tradition offering sustained reflection on selfhood, agency, value, relationality, philosophical counseling and transformative practice.

A central aim of the conference is to reflect on the continuing relevance of Bhakti traditions for contemporary philosophical inquiry, including ethics, epistemology, philosophy of religion, and applied philosophy. In doing so, the conference foregrounds methodological questions: how should Bhakti be studied philosophically, and how can textual, historical, and practice-based approaches be brought into meaningful dialogue?

A particular strand of the conference reflects on the legacy of Prof. R. D. Ranade, whose foundational work on Bhakti, mysticism, and Nirguni traditions exemplifies a philosophically rigorous and integrative approach to Indian intellectual traditions. At the same time, the conference remains open to broader classical and modern engagements with Bhakti across regions, languages, and traditions.

In addition to academic panels, the conference includes dialogical and practice-oriented sessions that bring scholarly analysis into conversation with lived spiritual experience, while maintaining a clear commitment to academic rigor.

The conference will include keynote lectures, invited panels, dialogical sessions, spiritual addresses, and presentations by doctoral students and early-career researchers.

The event will be held in a hybrid format to facilitate international participation.

Speakers

Keynote Speakers

Professor Diwakar Acharya

Dr Jitendra Sharma

Invited Speakers

Professor Balaganapathi Devarkonda

Advocate Maruti Zirali - Secretary of ACPR

Dr Nina Petek

Professor Mahesh Deokar

Panel Discussion

Rick Repetti

Chair for Sessions

Professor John Lowe

Professor Imre Bangha

With the support from scholars:

Professor Jim Mallinson from Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies

The Academy of Comparative Philosophy and Religion (ACPR), Belegavi, India

Invited Speakers from the USA, UK, India and Europe

Themes and Topics

The conference invites paper proposals on (but not limited to) the following themes:

Foundations and Method

Bhakti as Philosophy

Epistemology of Bhakti

Bhakti and Ethics

Bhakti as a Living Tradition

Texts, Traditions, and History

Poetry and Philosophy of Bhakti in India

Regional Bhakti Traditions

Intellectual and Historical Relevance of the Bhakti Movement

The Works and Legacy of Prof. R. D. Ranade

Practice, Application, and Contemporary Relevance

Bhakti and Philosophical Counselling

Bhakti as Transformative Practice

Global Expressions and Contemporary Forms of Bhakti

Interdisciplinary and Dialogical Explorations

Bhakti and Science

Bhakti, Consciousness, and Contemporary Thought .

The conference welcomes participation from doctoral students, early-career scholars, philosophers of religion, scholars of Indian philosophy, Ranade scholars, and practitioners of philosophical counselling engaging with Bhakti traditions.