Apologies for cross-posting.

Dear Colleagues,

We are happy to invite you to the next lecture in our “Emerging Scholars in Jain Studies” virtual series co-organized by the Departments of Religious Studies at UC Davis and UC Riverside. The lecture will be delivered by Dr. Shivani Bothra (California State University, Long Beach) on Friday, June 9, 2023, 9:00-10:20am PDT. You will find more information about the lecture and the speaker below.

Register for the event here:

https://ucr.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcrd-urrT0uHtWWusE6eFHi4-2_c7w_vKGp

Please note that you will need to sign into your Zoom account before entering the Zoom room.

Best wishes, 

Lynna Dhanani and Ana Bajzelj

Migration and Transformation in Religious Education in Contemporary Jain Society

Migration has had a sizable impact on Jain religious education but remained understudied until recently. In this talk, Dr. Shivani Bothra will examine the following three forms of migration experienced by Jain communities: (1) the suburbanization of Digambar Jains in Jaipur leading to the revival of traditional pathshalas in the suburbs; (2) the regional migration of Shvetambar Terapanthis across India resulting in the development of gyanshalas; and (3) the international migration of Jains to America, which has presented unique challenges, requiring a focus on Jain pathshalas to transmit traditional cultural values while assimilating into a new environment. This migration-driven transformation in religious education has also resulted in unintended consequences, particularly the emergence of women as leaders in a traditionally male-dominated area of religious education. Shedding light on the common themes across the three forms of religious education and the uniqueness of each migration, Dr. Bothra will also highlight the resulting shifts from traditional to contemporary religious education for Jain children both in India and abroad.

Dr. Shivani Bothra is an Assistant Professor in the Religious Studies Department at California State University, Long Beach. Dr. Bothra obtained her doctorate from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, where she focused on the significance of religious education for children as a means of preserving Jain values and culture for future generations. Expanding upon her doctoral research, her current work explores the changes in religious education within the lay community and how technology contributes to shaping contemporary Jainism and transnational Jain communities. Dr. Bothra is also engaged in a study that examines how lay Jains incorporate the principles of anekāntavāda (the doctrine of non-one-sidedness) and aparigraha (non-possessiveness) into their daily practices in addition to exploring their involvement in nonviolent movements that transcend religious boundaries.