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PROJECT
While Ranganathan’s work as a librarian has been largely investigated and commented upon, his cultural, spiritual and philosophical background has remained in the shadows and is still waiting to be adequately highlighted in terms of scientific research in order to better understand the deeper meaning of some definitions and proposals related to the system of knowledge, its analysis and its organization.
The project aims firstly at providing some further insights into his cultural, philosophical and religious background, by highlighting the crucial role of the Hindu doctrines and cultural tradition to which he belonged played in the formulation of principles of the modern knowledge organization. The aim of the project is also to investigate some fundamental aspects of its systematic approach to knowledge and its forms of acquisition (spiral of scientific method, intellection and intuition, absolute syntax, seminal mnemonics, etc.).
Within this perspective, our project does not merely present an overview of cultural history and ideas, but rather is meant to investigate the assumptions that underlie some important notions and methods proposed by Ranganathan. In other words, to fully understand the sense and meaning of Ranganathan’s proposal, it is necessary to widen the field of research to themes that fall within the area of subject and competence of indology and mathematics, not in a generic way, but from a perspective of inquiry firmly rooted to the premises and background that have oriented, also in a methodological and technical sense, his education.
As a consequence, the project intends to bring a contribution to those issues relating to the Ranganathan’s cognitive roots and conceptual framework that still requiring extended investigation. In this perspective, the solution of some obscure or problematic points in Ranganathan’s work can only come from an enquiry that brings light on the specific sources of reference.
Scientific Committee
Nalini Balbir, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle – Paris 3
Giuliano Boccali, University of Milan
Andrea Cuna, University of Udine
Andrea Del Ben, University of Udine
Vincenzo Della Mea, University of Udine
Fausto Freschi, Società Indologica «Luigi Pio Tessitori»
Giorgio Milanetti, Sapienza University of Rome
Alessandro Passi, University of Bologna
Antonio Rigopoulos, University of Venice
Cosimo Urgesi, University of Udine