UC Berkeley’s Division of Arts & Humanities welcomes Luther Obrock as of July 1, 2022. Obrock joins the Department of South and Southeast Asian Studies, where he is an assistant professor of Sanskrit and specializes in the study of kāvya, which is elite ornate poetry in Sanskrit, and its continued relevance in medieval India.
Obrock is particularly interested in the literary and cultural history of second millennium South Asia, including Sanskrit literature production during the Sultanate period. Having previously held positions as a lecturer of Sanskrit at the University of Pennsylvania and assistant professor of South Asian religions at the University of Toronto, respectively.
Obrock received his M.A. from UC Berkeley in 2008, where he continued his studies and earned his doctorate in 2015. He teaches a variety of courses, including advanced Sanskrit, and his ongoing research concentrates on Kashmir literary histories from the 12th to 16th centuries.