SARI-Listserv is a large and diverse private online community dedicated to the study of South Asian religions in which subscribers can ask questions, debate issues, and share resources. The Listserv is run by the SARI Governing Body who administers the following rules (in letter and spirit). SARI-L subscribers are expected to be familiar with and abide by these rules, which are designed to maintain the professional focus, tone, and collegiality of the list. SARI-L subscribers who do not respect the list rules may be put on moderated status on a case-by-case basis by the SARI-L Administrative Committee. If violations persist after being removed from moderated status, the subscriber may be suspended from the list pending a vote by the Steering Committee.
List Rules:
- SARI-L is committed to the interdisciplinary study of South Asian religions. No explicitly or implicitly biased language is permitted that is related but not limited to ability, caste, class, gender, nationality, race, religion, or sexuality, etc.
- Discussions on the Listserv can be contentious and political given the subject matter. When responding, subscribers are expected to address the topic of discussion at hand and not take issue with specific individuals. No ad hominem attacks are allowed.
- Subscribers should keep in mind that whenever they post to the list, they are, in effect, asking for the time and attention of more than 900 scholars worldwide. Messages should be short, to the point, professional, and of general interest. All other communication should take place off-list (e.g., messages of congratulations).
- Since this is a large list and not all subscribers know each other, all postings to SARI-L must contain a (brief) signature with the subscriber’s full name and institutional affiliation sent by the email ID linked to their subscription. Emails to the list sent by a non-subscription email are not automatically released to SARI-L.
- Subscribers who post bibliographic inquiries on SARI-L should assemble and edit the resulting references in a bibliography (with complete details as to publication, page numbers, etc., where possible) to be emailed to Caleb Simmons at calebsimmons@arizona.edu. As time permits, he will make these lists available in the Resources section of the website.
- No extended back-and-forth discussions on a single topic between two individuals or a limited number of individuals are allowed. Relatedly, no single individual should post an extended series of repeated messages on a single issue, nor multiple messages on a single or similar issue(s) on a single day, unless they are replying to legitimate queries or responses. Line-by-line responses and analysis of previous emails are not allowed. To ensure this, subscribers are limited to posting a maximum of three messages per day, totaling no more than five messages per week. This is designed to mitigate the kind of single-issue focus that defeats the purpose of the list. Subscribers are instead encouraged to continue these discussions off-list.
- Subscribers are allowed to forward and share links to newspaper articles, blog posts, petitions, videos, and other things of interest to the listserv, but forwards must be prefaced with an explanation from the sender as to how the link is relevant to the community. All links should be formatted as a hyperlink.
- No reposting from other listservs and no commercial messages.
- The SARI-L archives are password protected for subscribers to browse and search. As a matter of policy, SARI-L will not honor requests by non-subscribers to post corrections, rebuttals, or other responses to SARI-L discussions.
- No postings of full or partial conversations, whether directly quoted, paraphrased, or screenshotted from SARI-L, are permitted to be published on other platforms without the explicit written permission of the parties involved (and proper citation when requested by the author). If such a use is brought to the attention of the SARI Governing Body, the list member in question will be asked to seek permission or else will be asked to remove and take down all SARI-L material. Refusal to do so will lead to immediate and permanent suspension from the list.
- The SARI Governing Body does not issue advice, endorsements, or condemnations of any particular individual, position, or statement. We instead refer such requests to the president of the AAR and the Board of Trustees when appropriate. The AAR Policy on Resolutions and Board Statements can be found here.
- The SARI Governing Body neither condones nor endorses any content shared by subscribers. As such, they are not liable for any losses, claims, demands, causes of action, or expenses that may result as a consequence of list subscriber interactions.
Eligibility Criteria:
SARI-L subscriptions are not open to the general Internet public. Subscriptions are normally available only to active AAR members with terminal degrees in related academic disciplines researching and/or teaching in the area of religion in South Asia. Guest subscriptions are available to other active scholars with such qualifications, or to graduate students currently doing work in these fields (with advisor endorsement). It is assumed that subscribers are familiar with current methodologies and assumptions in academic religious studies. These eligibility criteria are enforced strictly to help ensure that the discussion remains as much as possible on an informed, professional, and academic level.
Undergraduate and graduate students in related disciplines may obtain subscriptions to SARI-L if they are sponsored by a faculty mentor who is an AAR member and a SARI-L subscriber. This faculty member should write to the list manager, recommending that the student be subscribed.
Any suggestions regarding the above guidelines should be mailed to the SARI-L Advisory Committee at sari-l-request@list.arizona.ed