On May 21 and 22, 2026, the international conference “Across Texts and Traditions: A Memorial Conference for Raniero Gnoli” will take place in the Conference Hall of Palazzo Corigliano at the University of Naples “L’Orientale”. The event is dedicated to the figure and scholarly legacy of Raniero Gnoli.
The conference will bring together scholars from Italian and international universities and research institutions to pay tribute to one of the most important figures in the study of India’s philosophical and religious traditions. The programme will explore some of the main fields of research connected to Gnoli’s work: Indian philosophy, Sanskrit aesthetics, Tantric Buddhism, the Kālacakratantra, Kashmir Śaivism, literature, art, and Buddhist archaeology.
The conference will open on Thursday, May 21, with institutional greetings from Roberto Tottoli, Rector of the University of Naples “L’Orientale”; Adriano Rossi, President of ISMEO; Roberta Giunta, Director of the Department of Asia, Africa and the Mediterranean; and the conveners Giacomella Orofino and Francesco Sferra.
The two days will be structured around four thematic sessions: Exploring Philosophical Horizons, Tantric Buddhism and the Kālacakratantra, Śaiva Exegesis and Intellectual Traditions, and Literature, Art, Archaeology.
The scheduled presentations include contributions dedicated to the study of Dharmakīrti’s Pramāṇavārttika, the Kālacakra tradition, the work of Abhinavagupta, Sanskrit poetics, Indian aesthetics, and the role of gems and stones in ancient Buddhist culture. The conference will thus offer a broad and wide-ranging journey through the richness of the fields of study explored by Gnoli, as well as the vitality of the research that continues to develop from his work today.
The event is organized by the University of Naples “L’Orientale”, the Department of Asia, Africa and the Mediterranean, ISMEO, and the Centre for Buddhist Studies of the University of Naples “L’Orientale”, with the involvement of the UBI Research Center.
