Dr Ophira Gamliel
- Lecturer in South Asian Religions (Theology & Religious Studies)
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https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1942-8870Research interests
My main areas of research are in South Asian languages, cultures, and religions, past and present. I am especially interested in the history of connections and exchanges between religions and regions, communities and generations, peoples and institutions. Specifically, my area of expertise is Kerala history and culture, and Malayalam language and literature.
I studied and taught Sanskrit and Malayalam in Jerusalem and in Germany (Bochum and Tübingen). I am especially interested in event structures and semantic bleaching in various languages, including Hebrew, my native language.
I work on performance and ritual studies, especially in the context of shared festivals, and on the documentation and preservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
Publications
2020
Gamliel, O. (2020) The Mantrâṅkam Paribhāṣa from historical linguistics perspective. In: Oberlin, H., Shulman, D. and Mucciarelli, E. (eds.) Two Masterpieces of Kūṭiyāṭṭam: Mantrāṅkam and Aṅgulīyāṅkam. Oxford University Press: New Delhi. ISBN 9780199483594 (In Press)
2019
Gamliel, O. (2019) Review of Homo Ritualis: Hindu Ritual and its Significance for Ritual Theory by Axel Michaels. Entangled Religions, 8, (doi:10.13154/er.8.2019.8439) [Book Review]
Gamliel, O. (2019) The syntactic roles of touch in shared festivals in Kerala: towards an analysis of ritual categories. Entangled Religions, 10, (doi:10.13154/er.10.2019.8436)
Gamliel, O. (2019) A Unique Hebrew Glossary from India: An Analysis of Judeo-Urdu, written by Aaron D. Rubin. Journal of Jewish Languages, 7(1), pp. 117-120. (doi:10.1163/22134638-07010001) [Book Review]
Gamliel, O. (2019) My love affair with Kerala and its Jewish heritage. In: Mathew, K.S. and Nair, Y. (eds.) One Heart Two Worlds: The Story of the Jews of Kochi. Stark World: Thiruvananthapuram, pp. 112-113. ISBN 9789382548034
Gamliel, O. (2019) Judaism in South India ca. 900s-1950s: Relocating Malabar Jewry. Arc Humanities Press: Michigan. ISBN 9781641890670 (In Press)
2018
Gamliel, O. (2018) Jewish Malayalam in Southern India. In: Hary, B. and Benor, S. B. (eds.) Languages in Jewish Communities, Past and Present. Series: Contributions to the sociology of language. De Gruyter: Berlin, pp. 356-378. ISBN 9781501504631
Gamliel, O. (2018) Who was the Fadiyār? Conflating textual evidence in Judeo-Arabic and Old Malayalam. Ginzei Qedem Genizah Research Annual, 14, pp. 9-42.
Cuffel, A. and Gamliel, O. (2018) Historical engagements and interreligious encounters - Jews and Christians in premodern and early modern Asia and Africa. Entangled Religions, 6, pp. 1-33. (doi:10.13154/er.v6.2018.1-33)
Gamliel, O. (2018) Aśu the convert: a slave girl or a Nāyar land owner? Entangled Religions, 6, pp. 201-246. (doi:10.13154/er.v6.2018.201-246)
Gamliel, O. (2018) Back from Shingly: revisiting the premodern history of Jews in Kerala. Indian Economic and Social History Review, 55(1), pp. 53-76. (doi:10.1177/0019464617745926)
Gamliel, O. (2018) Introduction to Malayalam Grammar. Magnes Press: Jerusalem. (In Press)
Gamliel, O. (2018) On the warp and woof of language: Arabic, Malayalam and the Muḥyidīn Māla. Iśal Paitṛkam,
Gamliel, O. (2018) Review of A Unique Hebrew Glossary from India: An Analysis of Judeo-Urdu by Aaron D. Rubin. Journal of Jewish Languages, [Book Review] (In Press)
Gamliel, O. (2018) The Syntactic Roles of Touch in Shared Festivals in Kerala. Working Paper. Bochum Online Companion to Eurasian Religions in Contact, Bochum, Germany.
Gamliel, O. (2018) Textual crossroads and transregional encounters: Jewish networks in Kerala 900s-1600s. Social Orbit, 4(1), pp. 41-73.
2017
Gamliel, O. (2017) Fading memories and linguistic fossils in Jewish Malayalam. In: Kasten, E., Roller, K. and Wilbur, J. (eds.) Oral History Meets Linguistics. Fürstenberg/Havel: Kulturstiftung Sibirien, pp. 83-106. ISBN 9783942883306
2016
Gamliel, O. (2016) The syntax of performance: the Mantrâṅkam as a case study. Nartanam: a Quarterly Journal on Indian Dance, XVI(3), pp. 166-194.
Gamliel, O. (2016) Jewish Malayalam. In: Handbook of Jewish Languages. Series: Brill's handbooks in linguistics. Brill, pp. 503-516. ISBN 9789004217331 (doi:10.1163/9789004297357_017)
2015
Gamliel, O. and Amin, E. (2015) Mantrāṅkam: Excerpts from the Puṟappāṭә (Malayalam and Sanskrit, with English subtitles). [Audio]
Gamliel, O. and Mar’i, A. a.-R. (2015) Bleached verbs as aspectual auxiliaries in colloquial modern Hebrew and Arabic dialects. In: Doron, E., Tirosh-Becker, O. and Benor, S. (eds.) Language Contact and the Development of Modern Hebrew. Series: Studies in Semitic languages and linguistics (84). Brill Academic Publishers, pp. 49-62. ISBN 9789004302006 (doi:10.1163/9789004310896_005)
2014
Gamliel, O. and Amin, E. (2014) Best Snack Ever (with English subtitles). [Audio]
Gamliel, O. (2014) Jewish Malayam. In: Stillman, N. A. (ed.) Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World. Brill Online. (doi:10.1163/1878-9781_ejiw_COM_000710)
Gamliel, O. (2014) Translation genres in Jewish Malayalam: stylistic and linguistic examination. Massorot, 16, pp. 137-172.
2013
Gamliel, O. (2013) The Hebrew component in Jewish Malayalam. In: Khan, G. (ed.) Encyclopedia of Hebrew Language and Linguistics. Brill: Leiden ; Boston, pp. 410-413. ISBN 9789004176423
Gamliel, O. (2013) Voices yet to be heard: on listening to the last speakers of Jewish Malayalam. Journal of Jewish Languages, 1(1), pp. 135-167. (doi:10.1163/22134638-12340004)
Gamliel, O. (2013) The neglected history of Kerala Jews. Zmanim, 122, pp. 16-29.
2012
Gamliel, O. (2012) ‘And the women sing their songs’: the wedding songs of Kerala Jews. In: Pedaya, H. (ed.) ha-Piyut ke-tsohar Tarbuti : Kivunim Hadashim la-Havanat ha-Piyut ule-Havnayuto ha-Tarbutit = The Piyyut as a Cultural Prism : New Approaches. Van-Leer Institute: Jerusalem, pp. 266-315. ISBN 9789650206567
2010
Gamliel, O. (2010) The correct path to India. Haaretz, 7 Jul.
Gamliel, O. (2010) Documenting Jewish Malayalam in Israel: fieldwork description and data analysis. TAPASAM: A Quarterly Journal of Kerala Studies, 6(1), pp. 3-39.
Gamliel, O. (2010) Review of Narratology: Indian Perspectives by C. Rajendran. Advar Library Bulletin, 72-73, pp. 349-358. [Book Review]
2009
Gamliel, O. (2009) Jewish Malayalam. International Journal of Dravidian Linguistics, 38(1), pp. 147-175.
Gamliel, O. (2009) ‘Kerala project’: on documenting the linguistic heritage of Kerala Jews. Pe'amim, 122, pp. 129-153.
Gamliel, O. (2009) Oral literary forms in Jewish Malayalam. Journal of Indo-Judaic Studies, 10, pp. 47-60.
2008
Gamliel, O. (2008) Malayalam folksongs. In: Shulman, D. and Weil, S. (eds.) Karmic Passages: Israeli Scholarship on India. Oxford University Press: New Delhi l New York, pp. 46-82. ISBN 9780195697070
2006
Gamliel, O. (2006) Review of The Jews of Kerala, by P. M. Jussay. TAPASAM: A Quarterly Journal of Kerala Studies, 1(3), pp. 685-695. [Book Review]
2005
Gamliel, O. (2005) Hey there! Have you ever seen a parrot? Notes about the sukasandesam. TAPASAM: A Quarterly Journal of Kerala Studies, 1(2), pp. 284-314.
Gamliel, O. (2005) The vigil night song. TAPASAM: A Quarterly Journal of Kerala Studies, 1(3), pp. 548-574.
Sakkar̲iya, S., Gamliel, O. and Johnson, B. C. (2005) Kārkul̲ali - Yefefiah - Gorgeous! : Jewish Women's Songs in Malayalam with Hebrew Translations. Ben Zvi Institute: Jerusalem. ISBN 9789652351005
2002
Gamliel, O. (2002) From the Rāmāyaṇa to the cloud messenger: the Kāvya genre in Sanskrit literature. In: Wasserman, N. (ed.) Hutim Nitvim: Reshitan Shel Sugot Sifrutiyot Be-tarbuyot `Atikot = Wool from the Loom: The Development of Literary Genres in Ancient Literature. Magnes Press: Jerusalem, pp. 125-148. ISBN 9789654931243
2001
Gamlîel, O. (2001) Yogim, Melakhim Ve-nashim Shememiyot = Yogis, Kings and Celestial Women: Translations of Selected Sanskrit Myths. Series: Sidrat Kôtarîm. Keter: Jerusalem. ISBN 9789650709693
1999
Gamliel, O. (1999) Shivah be-ya`ar ha-oranim: sipurim meha-mitologyah ha-Hodit = Shiva in the Forest of Pines: Translations of Selected Sanskrit Myths. Series: Sidrat Kôtarîm. Keter: Jerusalem. ISBN 9789650708054
Articles
Gamliel, O. (2019) The syntactic roles of touch in shared festivals in Kerala: towards an analysis of ritual categories. Entangled Religions, 10, (doi:10.13154/er.10.2019.8436)
Gamliel, O. (2018) Who was the Fadiyār? Conflating textual evidence in Judeo-Arabic and Old Malayalam. Ginzei Qedem Genizah Research Annual, 14, pp. 9-42.
Cuffel, A. and Gamliel, O. (2018) Historical engagements and interreligious encounters - Jews and Christians in premodern and early modern Asia and Africa. Entangled Religions, 6, pp. 1-33. (doi:10.13154/er.v6.2018.1-33)
Gamliel, O. (2018) Aśu the convert: a slave girl or a Nāyar land owner? Entangled Religions, 6, pp. 201-246. (doi:10.13154/er.v6.2018.201-246)
Gamliel, O. (2018) Back from Shingly: revisiting the premodern history of Jews in Kerala. Indian Economic and Social History Review, 55(1), pp. 53-76. (doi:10.1177/0019464617745926)
Gamliel, O. (2018) On the warp and woof of language: Arabic, Malayalam and the Muḥyidīn Māla. Iśal Paitṛkam,
Gamliel, O. (2018) Textual crossroads and transregional encounters: Jewish networks in Kerala 900s-1600s. Social Orbit, 4(1), pp. 41-73.
Gamliel, O. (2016) The syntax of performance: the Mantrâṅkam as a case study. Nartanam: a Quarterly Journal on Indian Dance, XVI(3), pp. 166-194.
Gamliel, O. (2014) Translation genres in Jewish Malayalam: stylistic and linguistic examination. Massorot, 16, pp. 137-172.
Gamliel, O. (2013) Voices yet to be heard: on listening to the last speakers of Jewish Malayalam. Journal of Jewish Languages, 1(1), pp. 135-167. (doi:10.1163/22134638-12340004)
Gamliel, O. (2013) The neglected history of Kerala Jews. Zmanim, 122, pp. 16-29.
Gamliel, O. (2010) The correct path to India. Haaretz, 7 Jul.
Gamliel, O. (2010) Documenting Jewish Malayalam in Israel: fieldwork description and data analysis. TAPASAM: A Quarterly Journal of Kerala Studies, 6(1), pp. 3-39.
Gamliel, O. (2009) Jewish Malayalam. International Journal of Dravidian Linguistics, 38(1), pp. 147-175.
Gamliel, O. (2009) ‘Kerala project’: on documenting the linguistic heritage of Kerala Jews. Pe'amim, 122, pp. 129-153.
Gamliel, O. (2009) Oral literary forms in Jewish Malayalam. Journal of Indo-Judaic Studies, 10, pp. 47-60.
Gamliel, O. (2005) Hey there! Have you ever seen a parrot? Notes about the sukasandesam. TAPASAM: A Quarterly Journal of Kerala Studies, 1(2), pp. 284-314.
Gamliel, O. (2005) The vigil night song. TAPASAM: A Quarterly Journal of Kerala Studies, 1(3), pp. 548-574.
Books
Gamliel, O. (2019) Judaism in South India ca. 900s-1950s: Relocating Malabar Jewry. Arc Humanities Press: Michigan. ISBN 9781641890670 (In Press)
Gamliel, O. (2018) Introduction to Malayalam Grammar. Magnes Press: Jerusalem. (In Press)
Sakkar̲iya, S., Gamliel, O. and Johnson, B. C. (2005) Kārkul̲ali - Yefefiah - Gorgeous! : Jewish Women's Songs in Malayalam with Hebrew Translations. Ben Zvi Institute: Jerusalem. ISBN 9789652351005
Gamlîel, O. (2001) Yogim, Melakhim Ve-nashim Shememiyot = Yogis, Kings and Celestial Women: Translations of Selected Sanskrit Myths. Series: Sidrat Kôtarîm. Keter: Jerusalem. ISBN 9789650709693
Gamliel, O. (1999) Shivah be-ya`ar ha-oranim: sipurim meha-mitologyah ha-Hodit = Shiva in the Forest of Pines: Translations of Selected Sanskrit Myths. Series: Sidrat Kôtarîm. Keter: Jerusalem. ISBN 9789650708054
Book Sections
Gamliel, O. (2020) The Mantrâṅkam Paribhāṣa from historical linguistics perspective. In: Oberlin, H., Shulman, D. and Mucciarelli, E. (eds.) Two Masterpieces of Kūṭiyāṭṭam: Mantrāṅkam and Aṅgulīyāṅkam. Oxford University Press: New Delhi. ISBN 9780199483594 (In Press)
Gamliel, O. (2019) My love affair with Kerala and its Jewish heritage. In: Mathew, K.S. and Nair, Y. (eds.) One Heart Two Worlds: The Story of the Jews of Kochi. Stark World: Thiruvananthapuram, pp. 112-113. ISBN 9789382548034
Gamliel, O. (2018) Jewish Malayalam in Southern India. In: Hary, B. and Benor, S. B. (eds.) Languages in Jewish Communities, Past and Present. Series: Contributions to the sociology of language. De Gruyter: Berlin, pp. 356-378. ISBN 9781501504631
Gamliel, O. (2017) Fading memories and linguistic fossils in Jewish Malayalam. In: Kasten, E., Roller, K. and Wilbur, J. (eds.) Oral History Meets Linguistics. Fürstenberg/Havel: Kulturstiftung Sibirien, pp. 83-106. ISBN 9783942883306
Gamliel, O. (2016) Jewish Malayalam. In: Handbook of Jewish Languages. Series: Brill's handbooks in linguistics. Brill, pp. 503-516. ISBN 9789004217331 (doi:10.1163/9789004297357_017)
Gamliel, O. and Mar’i, A. a.-R. (2015) Bleached verbs as aspectual auxiliaries in colloquial modern Hebrew and Arabic dialects. In: Doron, E., Tirosh-Becker, O. and Benor, S. (eds.) Language Contact and the Development of Modern Hebrew. Series: Studies in Semitic languages and linguistics (84). Brill Academic Publishers, pp. 49-62. ISBN 9789004302006 (doi:10.1163/9789004310896_005)
Gamliel, O. (2014) Jewish Malayam. In: Stillman, N. A. (ed.) Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World. Brill Online. (doi:10.1163/1878-9781_ejiw_COM_000710)
Gamliel, O. (2013) The Hebrew component in Jewish Malayalam. In: Khan, G. (ed.) Encyclopedia of Hebrew Language and Linguistics. Brill: Leiden ; Boston, pp. 410-413. ISBN 9789004176423
Gamliel, O. (2012) ‘And the women sing their songs’: the wedding songs of Kerala Jews. In: Pedaya, H. (ed.) ha-Piyut ke-tsohar Tarbuti : Kivunim Hadashim la-Havanat ha-Piyut ule-Havnayuto ha-Tarbutit = The Piyyut as a Cultural Prism : New Approaches. Van-Leer Institute: Jerusalem, pp. 266-315. ISBN 9789650206567
Gamliel, O. (2008) Malayalam folksongs. In: Shulman, D. and Weil, S. (eds.) Karmic Passages: Israeli Scholarship on India. Oxford University Press: New Delhi l New York, pp. 46-82. ISBN 9780195697070
Gamliel, O. (2002) From the Rāmāyaṇa to the cloud messenger: the Kāvya genre in Sanskrit literature. In: Wasserman, N. (ed.) Hutim Nitvim: Reshitan Shel Sugot Sifrutiyot Be-tarbuyot `Atikot = Wool from the Loom: The Development of Literary Genres in Ancient Literature. Magnes Press: Jerusalem, pp. 125-148. ISBN 9789654931243
Book Reviews
Gamliel, O. (2019) Review of Homo Ritualis: Hindu Ritual and its Significance for Ritual Theory by Axel Michaels. Entangled Religions, 8, (doi:10.13154/er.8.2019.8439) [Book Review]
Gamliel, O. (2019) A Unique Hebrew Glossary from India: An Analysis of Judeo-Urdu, written by Aaron D. Rubin. Journal of Jewish Languages, 7(1), pp. 117-120. (doi:10.1163/22134638-07010001) [Book Review]
Gamliel, O. (2018) Review of A Unique Hebrew Glossary from India: An Analysis of Judeo-Urdu by Aaron D. Rubin. Journal of Jewish Languages, [Book Review] (In Press)
Gamliel, O. (2010) Review of Narratology: Indian Perspectives by C. Rajendran. Advar Library Bulletin, 72-73, pp. 349-358. [Book Review]
Gamliel, O. (2006) Review of The Jews of Kerala, by P. M. Jussay. TAPASAM: A Quarterly Journal of Kerala Studies, 1(3), pp. 685-695. [Book Review]
Research Reports or Papers
Gamliel, O. (2018) The Syntactic Roles of Touch in Shared Festivals in Kerala. Working Paper. Bochum Online Companion to Eurasian Religions in Contact, Bochum, Germany.
Audio
Gamliel, O. and Amin, E. (2015) Mantrāṅkam: Excerpts from the Puṟappāṭә (Malayalam and Sanskrit, with English subtitles). [Audio]
Gamliel, O. and Amin, E. (2014) Best Snack Ever (with English subtitles). [Audio]
Grants
- Kerala State Higher Education Council Grant Erudite Scholar Lecture Series (2018)
- Aranmula Award of the Third International Kerala History Conference (2015)
- Käte Hamburger Kolleg project “Sensory Devotion and Inter-religious Encounters: Shared Festivals in Kerala (South India)” (2015)
- Rothschild Fellowship for Post-Doctoral Studies Malayalam linguistics with Venugopala Panicker (2010)
- Ben-Zvi Institute Grant: Documentation of Jewish Malayalam, in collaboration with Jarmo Forsström (2008-2009)
- Jewish Languages Department Morag Award, Hebrew University (2008)
- Rotenstreich Fellowship Grant, Hebrew University (2004-2008)
- Sternberg Prize for Interfaith Understanding, Hebrew University (2000)
Supervision
I am happy to supervise PhD projects on the religions, cultures, history, and literature of South Asia, past and present.
I welcome projects on a wide range of topics: material culture, religiolects and dialects, language documentation, Sanskrit literature, Hindu and Buddhist philosophy and religion, Classical Malayalam literature, Malayalam language and linguistics, temple theater and perfromance studies, and Jewish history in the Indian Ocean in premodern and early modern times.
I would be happy to supervise new and exciting projects in and around the areas of my expertise.
Teaching
I teach Hinduism and Buddhism literature and philosophy, and an Honors course on religion and trade in premodern Asia, focusing on the Malabar Coast.
I convene a course on mysticism and spirituality, with a focus on theoretical and methodological approaches to the topic.
I teach Malayalam and Sanskrit and convene a Malayalam summer school (here)
