South Asia Institute
The Institute
The South Asia Institute was founded in 1962 as an interdisciplinary center for research and academic teaching on South Asia. As a central academic institution within Heidelberg University, the South Asia Institute today has seven professorships namely Anthropology, Development Economics, Geography, History, Cultural and Religious History of South Asia (formerly Classical Indology), Modern South Asian Languages and Literatures (formerly Modern Indology) as well as Political Science. This unique academic profile comprises the cultural traditions of South Asia and offers a broad range of opportunities for conducting research on contemporary, modern South Asia studies.
CENTRE FOR ASIAN AND TRANSCULTURAL STUDIES
Together with the Institute of Anthropology (IfE), the Centre for Asian Studies (ZO), and the Heidelberg Centre for Transcultural Studies (HCTS), the SAI forms the Centre for Asian and Transcultural Studies (CATS). CATS opened in early summer 2019 with its brand new library at the core.
Study at SAI
Our multi and interdisciplinary, practice-oriented degree programs focus on teaching and combining practical linguistic, philological, cultural, social and natural science topics related to the region of South Asia.
Research
The SAI is part of an active research network that covers a wide field of studies.
Departments
The seven departments of the SAI are Anthropology, Development Economics, Geography, History of South Asia, Cultural and Religious History of South Asia (formerly Classical Indology), Modern South Asian Languages and Literatures (formerly Modern Indology) and Political Science.
28th European Conference for South Asian Studies (ECSAS)
The 28th European Conference for South Asian Studies will take place in Heidelberg, Germany, from 1st to 4th of October 2025.
The European Conference for South Asian Studies (ECSAS) has met regularly since 1968, and provides an important opportunity to discuss current research and scholarship on topics relating to South Asia within the humanities and social sciences. The ECSAS conferences now operate under the auspices of the European Association for South Asian Studies (EASAS), a charitable academic association supporting research and teaching concerning South Asia with regard to all periods and fields of study.