Two Indianists and a Commission. Carlo Formichi, Oreste Nazari and the Progress of Sanskrit Studies in Italy

Abstract

This paper aims to retrace a piece of the history of Indian studies in Italy between the 19th and 20th centuries. Specifically, it builds on the unpublished documents from the works of the October 1905 Examination Commission – consisting of Michele Kerbaker, Emilio Teza, Fausto Gherardo Fumi, Paolo Emilio Pavolini, and Ernesto Giacomo Parodi – tasked with assessing the scientific and academics titles of Carlo Formichi and Oreste Nazari, who had held temporary Sanskrit chairs in Pisa and Palermo since 1901, in view of promoting them to tenured positions. This is a valuable case-study to understand the dynamics of the development of Indian studies in post-unification Italy, as well as the reciprocal influences between scholars and the reception of contemporary publications in the Orientalistic field.