J. Daniel White oral history interview 1, 2018 May 10
Description
Dr. J. Daniel White discusses his life and his 47-year tenure as professor of Religious Studies at UNC Charlotte. [All times approximate] [00:00] He begins by tracing the development of his passion for studying Asia and in particular Indian culture. [05:48] He reflects on his formative years and his memories of visiting his great grandparents (surname Combs) who lived on a small farm in Eastern North Carolina; his maternal grandmother who lived as a widow on a several thousand-acre plantation between Franklinton and Louisburg North Carolina; his paternal grandfather who frequently took him along on his mail delivery route; and his paternal grandmother. [18:27] He reflects on the social fabric of Eastern North Carolina during his childhood, focusing on underlying racism and prejudices which were often contradicted by individual relationships, and which he interprets as having underlying economic causes. He also discusses the social hierarchy of the 1950s. [29:38] He talks about his immediate family, including his parents and siblings. He describes his own education and high school experiences. [36:50] He relates how he became interested in religion and theology, his decision to become an academic, and his educational path. [41:15] After a brief break Dr. White reflects on the profound influence of radical Baptist minister Dean Minton, who was the minister of the Baptist Church in Elizabethtown North Carolina where Dr. White's family lived for ten years. He outlines how Mr. Minton cemented his interest in studying religion and made him question Southern cultural norms. [47:12] He traces his path to UNC Charlotte after graduate school and outlines how he was attracted to the university because of the academic freedom it gave him to focus on researching and teaching South Asian studies, including Indian religions and Sanskrit language. [51:20] He reflects on his college years at Campbell College in North Carolina and the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, including his first trip to India as a graduate student. [1:04:00] He describes his arrival at UNC Charlotte, his colleagues, his prior friendship with Myers Park Baptist Church minister, Jean Owens, and how he came to join Mr. Owen's church. He reflects on the progressive history under the leadership of several ministers at Myers Park Baptist. [1:17:20] He outlines how he met his wife at church and their many visits to India. He details his year-long research in Madras in 1985, where his wife worked as a nurse practitioner. [1:25:10] He reflects on how the study of Asian religions have changed over time, the inappropriate approach of imposing Western theological, social, or historical methodologies on Asian studies, and how he approaches his teaching. He also reflects on a movement within India towards extreme conservative beliefs about Indian history despite archeological evidence to the contrary, the lack of awareness within India of the many progressive scientific and cultural ideas that originated there, and the imposition of Western conservatism on Indian society. [1:38:52] During the last part of the interview Dr. White reflects on the strengths of the Religious Studies program during his tenure; his work building a consortium of Southeastern United States colleges and universities to promote non-Western studies in the early 1970s; his creation of the Festival of India, which was the first International focused festival to be held on campus; the UNC Charlotte campus when he arrived at the university in 1971; his digital photography projects, including photographs of many of the major shrines of the Mewar Dynasty in Northwestern India; and his oral history interview with members of the Mewar family. He concludes with references to his children and thoughts about his retirement.