[INDOLOGY] Reminder: Emerging Scholars in Jain Studies – Inaugural Lecture by Julie A. Hanlon, University of Chicago (February 25)

[Ana Bajzelj]

Apologies for cross-posting.



Dear Colleagues,



This is a reminder that the inaugural lecture of our new virtual event
series, “Emerging Scholars in Jain Studies,” will take place this
Friday,* February
25, 2022*, 9:00-10:20am (PST). You can find more information about the
speaker *Dr. Julie A. Hanlon* (University of Chicago) and lecture below.



Register for the event here:
https://ucr.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIocu2rrTspHtXXF8mQqogj3KENfwrMQj0Q



This registration link is different from the one that was sent out before
the 1/21/22 talk was rescheduled.



The “Emerging Scholars in Jain Studies” event series is co-organized by the
Departments of Religious Studies at UC Davis and UC Riverside. We envision
this platform as a way for junior scholars working on Jain materials to
share their work with and receive feedback from junior and
senior scholars in the field of Jain studies and the larger academic
community.



We look forward to welcoming you at this event!



Best wishes,



Lynna Dhanani and Ana Bajzelj





*Southern Mathura: Madurai as an Early Center of Jainism in South India*



The city of Madurai in Tamil Nadu was once host to some of the
earliest Jain monastic communities in India and continued to be a prominent
center of Jainism until c. 10th century. We know from classical Tamil
poetry that the city was formerly known as Kudal. This shift in identity
from Kudal to Madurai roughly coincides with the proliferation
of Jain monasteries and temples inside and outside of the city, including a
constellation of Jain hill sites known as the Eight Great Hills. In
addition to the Jain archaeological heritage associated with the city,
within Tamil literature Madurai is also depicted as host to Jain monastic
communities. Inscriptions referring to the city as “Southern Mathura”
signal its identity as a counterpart to the Jain center of Mathura in Uttar
Pradesh. This lecture will discuss the history of Jainism in Madurai, from
the early Jain caves bearing Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions to the stone temples
and Jain relief images of the 8th-9th centuries. Through a combination of
archaeological, epigraphic, and literary evidence, it will show how a small
group of itinerant Jain monks traveling along trade routes connecting north
and south India grew into a large network of Jain monastic communities with
Madurai as their center.



Julie A. Hanlon’s research examines the history of Jainism in south India
and is characterized by an interdisciplinary approach. She holds an MPhil
in Archaeology from the University of Cambridge and a joint PhD in
Anthropology and South Asian Languages and Civilizations from the
University of Chicago. She has participated in archaeological excavations
across north and south India and spent several years in Tamil Nadu
researching classical Tamil literature and epigraphy. Dr. Hanlon’s recent
work examines the materiality of texts and inscriptions and the ways in
which the preservation, destruction, and reuse of literature and landscape
figured in the formation of religious identities in first millennium south
India. She currently serves as the Associate Director of Learning Design
for University of Chicago Professional Education (UCPE).


-- 

Ana Bajzelj
Associate Professor
Shrimad Rajchandra Endowed Chair in Jain Studies
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Department of Religious Studies
University of California, Riverside
She/her/hers
https://twitter.com/UCR_JainStudies
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://list.indology.info/pipermail/indology/attachments/20220223/c76963b1/attachment.htm>