Pankaj Jain (born 1970) is a professor of Philosophy, Religious Studies,

Film Studies Film studies is an academic discipline that deals with various theoretical, historical, and critical approaches to cinema as an art form and a medium. It is sometimes subsumed within media studies and is often compared to television studies. ...

, Sustainability, and

Diaspora Studies Diaspora studies is an academic field established in the late 20th century to study dispersed ethnic populations, which are often termed diaspora peoples. The usage of the term diaspora carries the connotation of forced resettlement, due to e ...

. He has authored three books and has co-edited the

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

Section of the Encyclopedia of Indian Religions. His articles have appeared in multiple academic journals and popular websites.

Education and career

Jain graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science from

Karnataka University Karnatak University is a public state university in Dharwad district of Karnataka state, India. The university is recognized by University Grants Commission and accredited by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). As of 2014 ...

in 1992 and began teaching at the M.B.M. Engineering College, Jodhpur. He moved to the US in 1996. After working as an IT professional for a few years, he joined

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 2002 to pursue M.A. in Indian Religions. In 2008, he received a Ph.D. from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...

in Indian Religions and Ecology. In 2007, he taught Sanskrit, Hindi, and Hinduism at

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

for a year. From 2008 to 2010, he taught Indian languages at North Carolina State University. In 2010 he joined the Department of Philosophy and Religion and Department of Anthropology at the

University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 years later."Denton Normal School, ...

. He has been a research affiliate at the Pluralism Project by Harvard University, the first Hindu-Jain scholar-in-residence at Greenfaith, an American interfaith environmental coalition, and the India representative for the International Society for Environmental Ethics. He is currently the Head of the Department of Humanities and Languages and also the Chair of The India Centre at

FLAME University FLAME University is a private, coeducational and fully residential liberal education university located in Pune, India. It was formerly known as FLAME - Foundation for Liberal and Management Education. Leadership The academic program at the FLA ...

. He convened the first Indic Studies conference in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Advanced Study in May 2021.

Works

Monographs: * Dharma and Ecology of Hindu Communities: Sustenance and Sustainability **Reviews - * Science and Socio-Religious Revolution in India: Moving the Mountains **Reviews - * Dharma in America: A Short History of Hindu-Jain Diaspora **Reviews - Edited volumes: * Encyclopedia of Indian Religions- Hinduism and Tribal Religions * Indian and Western Philosophical Concepts in Religion Articles: *Essays in th
Journal of Visual Anthropology

Awards and Recognitions

Jain's first book was selected for the DANAM Book Prize and Uberoi Foundation Award. He is a recipient of the Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship for Environmental Leadership and Wenner-Gren Grant. In addition, he was nominated for the Sustainability Leadership Award from Memnosyne Institute.

References

Karnatak University alumni

External links

*
Profile at FLAME University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jain, Pankaj 1970 births Living people Scholars from Rajasthan Columbia University alumni University of Iowa alumni FLAME University faculty Indian religion academics Hindu writers Hindu studies scholars Indian Jain writers