Daniele Cuneo

Daniele Cuneo is an Associate Professor of Instruction in the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at Austin, with ongoing academic affiliations at Université Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris and Leiden University. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Rome 'La Sapienza' and previously served as maître de conférences (Associate Professor) in Sanskrit and Indian Civilization at Sorbonne Nouvelle, where he maintains his academic chair.

His educational background includes significant scholarly work at Vienna University (Sanskrit Logic), Cambridge University (Manuscript Studies), and Leiden University (Sanskrit Lecturer), establishing his credentials across multiple prestigious European institutions.

Cuneo's research centers on Sanskrit intellectual and literary cultures, with particular expertise in poetry and aesthetics (kāvya, alaṅkāraśāstra and nāṭyaśāstra). His interests extend to epistemology, linguistic philosophy, inter-traditional debates among Brahmins, Buddhists and Jains, and conversations between traditions and (post-)modernity. Additional research areas include the history of Indian Philosophy, classical juridical tradition (dharmaśāstra), tantric studies, early modern Nepal manuscript collections, and South Indian studies (particularly Tamil Nadu).

His scholarly output demonstrates a consistent focus on Kashmiri intellectual history, Sanskrit poetics, and the intersection of performance theory with philosophical inquiry. Recent publications reveal increasing attention to manuscript studies, textual transmission, and cross-cultural comparisons between Eastern and Western aesthetic theories.

• Prix Colette Caillat by the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, Institut de France (for Pensare l'attore: le fonti sanscrite)

Cuneo has contributed extensively to collaborative projects including co-edited volumes on Literary Theory, Manuscript Studies, History of Sexuality, and Commentary Cultures. His current research focuses on editing, translating, and interpreting Sanskrit texts on poetics and philosophy of language from late medieval Kashmir, particularly Mukula's Abhidhāvṛttamātṛkā, Sahadeva's commentary on Vāmana's Kāvyālaṅkārasūtra, and Mammaṭa's Śabdavyāpāravicāra.

He has made significant contributions to the digital cataloging of Sanskrit manuscript collections at Cambridge University Library and is actively engaged in exploring the immense manuscript collections of early modern Nepal and South India.