25th Annual Jaina Studies Workshop: Jainism and Politics
Key information
- Date
- Time
-
9:00 am to 7:30 pm
- Venue
- SOAS, Main Building
- Room
- Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre (BGLT)
About this event
These events have been sponsored by the JivDaya Foundation and the Jain Vishva Bharati London
25th Annual Jaina Studies Workshop programme
The Centre of Jaina Studies (CoJS) at SOAS, University of London, is hosting its 25th Annual Jaina Studies Workshop on 23 March 2024. This event is public and free to anyone interested in Jainism and/or religious traditions.
The theme of this year is ‘Jainism and Politics’, a theme that has not been raised before in an academic context. The Workshop raises questions such as: What is the meaning of ‘politics’ within the study of Jainism? How is kingship understood in Jain sources? What are the attitudes to and forums for political engagement for Jains?
International scholars of Jaina Studies will treat these and related questions over the course of a full day. Lunch and coffee breaks will be provided to stimulate informal discussions.
The day will be concluded by the Ācārya Mahāprajña Memorial Lecture given by Nalini Balbir (Université Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris 3), followed by a reception.
22 March 2024 6.00pm-7.30pm: Annual Lecture by Prof. Christine Chojnacki, Religious and political debates at the Court of Caulukya Kings. The contribution of Jain Romance-Poems (1082-1112).
23 March 2024:
Morning sessions
| Time | Session | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00 - 9:15 | Opening and arrival | |
| 9:15- 9:30 | Welcome and Announcements | |
| 9:30 - 11:00 | Kings, Gods and Ascetics | |
| Refashioning Verse in Biography: Hemacandra and Kumārapāla Across Genres | Lynna Dhanani (UC Davis) | |
| Metaphors of Kingship in Ancient Jain Literature and Art | Patrick Krüger (Ruhr Universität Bochum) | |
| When Kings and Ascetics Meet. Readings from Early Jain Literature | Valters Negribs (GREI) | |
| 11:00 - 11:30 | Coffee-Tea Break | |
| 11:30 - 12:30 | Historical Jains Inside and Outside of the Court | |
| Jains in Sultanate Gujarat | John E. Cort (Denison University) | |
| Somadevasūri as Political Scientist and Political Narrator | Heleen De Jonckheere (SOAS) | |
| 12:30 - 13:30 | Group Picture and Lunch |
Afternoon sessions
| Time | Session | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| 13:30 - 15:00 | Civic Engagement and Disengagement in India and the Diaspora | |
| Strategic Disengagement: Pune Jains and Public Politics | Whitney Kelting (Northeastern University) | |
| Jain Intellectual and Leadership Affinities with Hindutva and the Politics of Grievance in Neoliberal India | Steve Vose (CU Denver) | |
| Community, Compassion and Conservation: Political Values, Civic Engagement and Citizenship among young Jains in the UK and USA | Bindi Shah (University of Southampton) | |
| 15:00-15:30 | Coffee-Tea Break | |
| 15:30 - 16:30 | (Post)Colonial Solidarity in India and East Africa | |
| The Geo-politics of Jain East-Africa. (Post)colonial Solidarity as a Spiritual Imperative and a Practical Necessity | Tine Vekemans (Universiteit Gent) | |
| Ācārya Tulsī and Ācārya Mahāprajña in Dialogue with Indian Politicians | Samani Pratibha Pragya (Jain Vishva Bharati, FIU) | |
| 16:30 - 16:45 | Closing Remarks |
Ācārya Mahāprajña Memorial lecture
| Time | ||
|---|---|---|
| 16:45-17:00 | Arrival with live music | |
| 17.00 - 18.15 | Lecture by Nalini Balbir, The Terāpanth's work on the Jain Āgamas | |
| 18.15 - 19.30 | Reception |
Contact
If you have questions or would like to find out more about the 25th Annual Jaina Studies Workshop, please contact Heleen De Jonckheere (hd28@soas.ac.uk).
