We’re delighted to announce that Dr Naomi Appleton has been awarded a Philip Leverhulme Prize this year. The Prize recognises the achievement of outstanding researchers whose work has already attracted international recognition and whose future career is exceptionally promising. Image Dr Appleton Said: "I am absolutely delighted to have been awarded a Philip Leverhulme Prize in recognition of my research. I plan to use the majority of the funds in the creation of an online searchable database of Jataka stories in the texts and art of South Asia. Jataka stories are tales of the past lives of the Buddha, a hugely influential genre in Buddhist history and culture, and a key area of my research. "Jataka literature is difficult to navigate because of its scale and complexity. The largest textual collection contains around 550 stories, while the many other jataka texts both increase the total number of stories and repeat stories in multiple versions; some versions are also found in non-Buddhist texts. Artistic depictions at Buddhist sites from the first century BCE to the present day add to the challenges of interpreting the genre. Creating a resource to help navigate the genre will not only enhance my own research into these fascinating stories but should also contribute towards the work of other scholars." This article was published on 2024-03-19
