This Unit began in 2009 in recognition of the burgeoning state of the field and its relative neglect in the AAR. Originating in India in the first millennium BCE, Jainism — historically as dominant a South Asian religious tradition as Buddhism and Hinduism and, in the light of current demographics, a disproportionately powerful presence in the cultural and economic life of India — is a world religion now extending far beyond South Asia to East Asia, Europe, North America, Africa, and Australia. Given the increasing focus of scholarly attention on Jainism both in India and around the globe, this Unit provides a venue in North America for scholars of Jainism to meet regularly and exchange ideas.
You are here
Jain Studies Unit
Call for Proposals for November Meeting
The Jain Studies Unit welcomes suggestions for panel ideas to be included in the AAR 2024 Call for Papers. If you would like to add your idea to the CFP, or if you have any questions, please send a short provisional title of your topic to one (or both) of the Jain Studies co-chairs, Gregory Clines (gclines@trinity.edu) and/or Ana Bajzelj (abajzelj@ucr.edu). We especially welcome suggestions for panels to be co-sponsored with other units and for panels that address the 2024 Annual Meeting’s Presidential Theme: “Violence, Nonviolence, and the Margin.” Finally, the Jain Studies Unit encourages proposals to include voices that are diverse in terms of race, caste, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, ability, age, socioeconomic status, geographic region, professional rank, and institutional affiliation.
Please note that the Jain Studies Unit only accepts proposals for complete panels, roundtables, book discussions, etc. and does not accept individual papers. This is true for both the online Summer Session and the in-person annual meeting.
The following are proposed panel titles with contact information as of Feb. 5, 2024. If interested, please contact the listed person(s) directly. Additional panel proposals are welcomed. The Jain Studies unit exclusively uses the AAR PAPERS system for all submissions.
- Between Tradition and Modernity: 20th and 21st Century Jain Mendicant Leaders (Lynna Dhanani, lrdhanani@ucdavis.edu)
- Jainism and Medicine (Eric Villalobos, villalobos@emory.edu)
- Omniscience in Jainism/South Asian Religions (for possible co-sponsorship with Hindu Philosophy Unit) (Marie-Hélène Gorisse, gorisse@bham.ac.uk)
- Jainism and Consumption in the Diaspora (Jonathan Dickstein, jhdickstein@arihantainstitute.org)
- Spiritual Warriors: Violence and Nonviolence in Jain and Sikh Traditions (for possible co-sponsorship with Sikh Studies Unit) (Nirinjan Khalsa, Nirinjan.Khalsa@lmu.edu; Gregory Clines, gclines@trinity.edu)
- Exploring the Yaśastilaka (Sasha Restifo, arestifo@fiu.edu)
- Jain Text Translation Workshop (for possible co-sponsorship with Buddhist Philosophy Unit, Hindu Philosophy Unit, and/or Yogācāra Unit) (Anil Mundra, ammundra@gmail.com)
- Jain Studies and the Impact of the Work of Alan Babb (M. Whitney Kelting, kelting@northeastern.edu)
- Jains and Relations to the State (David St. John, david.c.stjohn@email.ucr.edu)
- Anthropological Perspectives: Reflections on Jainism from the Field (for possible co-sponsorship with Anthropology of Religion Unit) (Miki Chase, mochase@wisc.edu).
- Jain Political Imagination (Caley Smith, caley.smith@gcsu.edu)
Call for Proposals for Online June Meeting
The Jain Studies Unit welcomes proposals for the AAR's Annual Meeting June Sessions Online pilot program. This online-only conference will run from June 25-27, 2024, and panels will be either 60 or 90 minutes long. Panels can either be proposed for the Summer Session or the in-person annual meeting, but the same panel cannot be considered for both. The proposal deadline for both the Summer Session and the in-person meeting are the same. Please contact Gregory Clines (gclines@trinity.edu) or Ana Bajzelj (abajzelj@ucr.edu) for more information. The Jain Studies Unit encourages proposals to include voices that are diverse in terms of race, caste, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, ability, age, socioeconomic status, geographic region, professional rank, and institutional affiliation.
Statement of Purpose
Co-Sponsoring
Chairs
-
Ana Bajzelj, University of California, Riverside1/1/2023 - 12/31/2028
-
Gregory Clines, Trinity University1/1/2022 - 12/31/2027
Steering Committee Members
-
Seema Chauhan, University of Oxford1/1/2022 - 12/31/2027
-
Lynna Dhanani, University of California, Davis1/1/2019 - 12/31/2024
-
Anil Mundra, Rutgers University, New Brunswick1/1/2023 - 12/31/2028
-
Anne Vallely, University of Ottawa1/1/2022 - 12/31/2027
-
Tine Vekemans,1/1/2022 - 12/31/2027
Method
Review Process
Proposals are anonymous to chairs and steering committee members until after final acceptance/rejection