Episode Overview
Podcast: New Books Network
Host: Dr. Raj Balkaran
Guests: Dr. Christopher Jain Miller & Dr. Cogen Bohanec
Book Discussed: Engaged Jainism: Critical and Constructive Studies of Jain Social Engagement (SUNY Press, 2026)
Date: January 8, 2026
This episode explores the new volume Engaged Jainism, co-edited by Drs. Christopher Jain Miller and Cogen Bohanec. The conversation delves into the emergence of "Engaged Jain Studies" as a dynamic subdiscipline, reflecting on its origins, methodological innovations, and significance for both scholarship and Jain communities. The hosts and guests discuss how Jain thought interacts with pressing contemporary issues—ecology, social justice, interfaith engagement—while navigating academic and practitioner divides.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. Origins and Rationale of Engaged Jain Studies
- [02:34] Dr. Miller shares that the concept arose from the 2023 “Defining Applied Jain Studies” conference and a new graduate program at Claremont School of Theology.
- The field seeks to move beyond stereotypes of Jainism as "otherworldly" or "overly ascetic" and demonstrate Jainism’s social relevance.
- Dr. Bohanec underscores the need for a clear methodology in Jain Studies that embraces both critical scholarship and community engagement.
Quote:
"Jainism is a very ethically centered tradition... so that tends to be expected from donors and faculties that are hiring. We really see a need for articulating what this subdiscipline looks like."
— Dr. Cogen Bohanec [04:16]
2. Arihanta Institute Programs and the Ecosystem of Jain Studies
- [05:40] Dr. Miller outlines the Arihanta Institute’s collaborations, including online graduate and PhD programs, public courses, events, and a podcast—all aimed at democratizing Jain studies and making Jain thought accessible.
"Our vision is really to democratize Jain Studies and also to show its contemporary relevance... there's kind of something for everyone."
— Dr. Miller [06:41]
3. Countering Stereotypes and Embracing Engagement
- [07:22] Dr. Bohanec argues that traditions need to remain engaged with contemporary issues to thrive and avoid extinction.
- Engaged Jainism is also seen as a corrective to the stereotype of disengagement and a means to ensure Jainism’s survival and relevance.
4. Structure and Methodology of the Volume
- [09:03] The book comprises 17 chapters across five thematic sections:
- Critical issues in Engaged Jain Studies
- Jain social engagement in the diaspora
- Jainism’s intersection with business/economy
- Animal/environmental protection
- Interfaith engagement
"The volume is really meant to showcase a snapshot right now, to theorize what [Engaged Jain Studies] means, and to show how different scholars are doing it."
— Dr. Miller [10:28]
5. Methodological Innovations and the Emic/Etic Dialogue
- [11:17] Introduction chapter acknowledges the influence of increased donor funding and its complexities for methodological freedom and academic independence.
- [15:11] Dr. Bohanec highlights Dr. Miller’s framing of three approaches:
- Constructive/Normative (emic): Promoting Jain values and solutions (insider perspective).
- Critical/Analytic (etic): Maintaining objectivity and neutrality (outsider perspective).
- Critical-Constructive: Integrating both to balance objectivity and normativity.
"We acknowledge upfront that this is being influenced by the infusion of capital... it's providing opportunities, and at the same time, it's making scholars think about the way they do Jain studies."
— Dr. Miller [12:07]
"The third method integrates both by balancing objectivity with normativity... so you can have objective scholarship that also makes normative claims, like in ethics."
— Dr. Bohanec [15:34]
6. Sample Chapters and Their Significance
- Miller’s Chapter on the Berlin Wall [12:54]:
Examines artist Narendra Kumar Jain's mural at the Berlin Wall as an illustration of Indian (and Jain) values in a global/historic context, blending constructive and critical approaches. - Bohanec’s Chapters [24:09]:
- Virtue Ethics & Animal Rights: Applies Jain ethical thought in dialogue with Western virtue ethics, emphasizing the fit between virtue ethics and karma theory.
- Jain Eco-Theology: Uses eco-psychology and biophilia to draw analogies between healing through nature and Jain spiritual processes.
7. Decolonizing and Democratizing Jain Studies
- [24:09] Bohanec stresses uplifting South Asian and Jain community voices and fostering subjective/normative scholarship.
- There is a call to make space for rigorous confessional (insider) perspectives—something more accepted in Abrahamic studies—and to challenge colonialist academic norms.
8. Broadening the Scope: Notable Contributions
- [32:37] Miller’s favorite chapters:
- Engaged Curation (Johannes Belt): Collaboration between museum curation and Jain communities in Switzerland, reflecting tensions and opportunities in representing living traditions.
- Vegan Studies/Animal Sanctuary (Jonathan Dickstein): Ethnographic look at a Jain-founded animal sanctuary, highlighting the blending of Jain values and contemporary animal advocacy.
- [36:27] Bohanec’s highlights:
- Bhavanas and Interfaith Ethics (Alba Rodriguez Juan)
- Yoga Pradipa (Krina)
- Haribhadra and Interreligious Dialogue (Christopher Chappell)
- Anekantavad and Pluralism (Jeffrey Long): Engaging with Advaita Vedanta to probe pluralistic approaches to truth.
"Every one of these scholars is so diverse and unique in their perspective and their methodology... this book is a fantastic read from front to end."
— Dr. Bohanec [39:07]
9. Meta-Reflections: The Future of (Religious) Engagement
- [42:17] Dr. Miller hopes the book sparks further serious engagement with Jain and other religious traditions, both inside and outside the academy.
- They argue for bridging academic/practitioner divides and making religious studies more publicly and socially relevant.
"This book will spark... the ongoing study not just of engaged Jainism, not just engaged Buddhism... but also engaged religions in general."
— Dr. Miller [42:32]
- [46:03] Emphasize a contract of mutual trust and accountability between academics and communities: recognizing both inspiration and the need for critical distance.
10. Emic and Etic Perspectives Revisited, Pedagogy, and Methodological Relativism
- [50:10] Bohanec advocates for rigorous confessional and emic scholarship in South Asian traditions, calls attention to potential colonial biases in academic norms.
- [50:50] Discusses methodological relativism—valuing the internal coherence of worldviews and the importance of stepping into them for credible scholarship.
- Raj and Bohanec share teaching anecdotes about "thinking alongside" traditions to foster deeper understanding and empathy.
"If you really are a good thinker, you realize that all of these worldviews, whether they're religious or philosophical, all of them are internally coherent..."
— Dr. Bohanec [51:29]
11. Re-envisioning Religious Studies and Academic Relevance
- [58:10] Raj and guests reflect on the existential challenges facing religious studies, arguing for innovation, real-world relevance, and vital dialogue to ensure the field’s future.
"Religious studies has painted itself into a sort of corner, and it needs to pivot somehow to get out of that corner... unless we find ways to communicate the content and vitality and significance, what is the future of what we're doing?"
— Dr. Raj Balkaran [58:57]
12. Final Thoughts: The Stakes of Engaged Jain Studies and World Peace
- [61:17] Bohanec: Religious studies, particularly for minority and non-European traditions, is vital for cultural survival and world peace. Engaged Jain studies aims to contribute to this larger humanistic project.
"Our goal is nothing short of world peace when it comes to what the project of religious studies is. Whether that's an achievable goal or not is another story."
— Dr. Bohanec [62:34]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)
-
On Methodology and Donor Impact
"We acknowledge upfront that this is being influenced by the infusion of capital... it's providing opportunities, and at the same time, it's making scholars think about the way they do Jain studies."
— Dr. Miller [12:07] -
On Virtue Ethics & Animal Rights
"Virtue ethics is a much more natural fit to karma theory and to South Asian traditions, much more natural than deontology and utilitarianism."
— Dr. Bohanec [25:25] -
On Eco-Theology
"You see virtues present in nature... by our exposure to nature, we also learn to cultivate those ethics within ourselves."
— Dr. Bohanec [30:47] -
On Emic/Etic and Academic Rigor
"We wanted to do a kind of Ane Kantavada, a multi-perspectival way of doing Jain studies, that no one part held the full truth or way of doing it."
— Dr. Miller [22:26] -
On Pedagogy
"If you are reading the Bhagavad Gita and try and understand the Bhagavad Gita, you have to do your best to dispense with consciously or unconsciously notions... What would it be like?"
— Dr. Raj Balkaran [56:46] -
On the Broader Project of Religious Studies
"Bringing about harmony, and in particular with a small minority tradition like the Jain tradition, that's particularly important in the modern age."
— Dr. Bohanec [62:23]
Timestamps for Major Segments
- [02:34] — Origins of Engaged Jainism and conference background
- [05:40] — Arihanta Institute’s programs and philosophy
- [09:03] — Structure and sections of the book
- [11:17] — Methodology, donor influence, and field positioning
- [12:54] — Miller’s Berlin Wall chapter
- [15:11] — Methodological approaches in Engaged Jain Studies
- [17:52] — Navigating Emic/Etic binaries
- [24:09] — The case for decolonizing Jain Studies; Bohanec’s chapters
- [32:37] — Standout book contributions (Belt, Dickstein, etc.)
- [42:17] — Hopes for the field and interdisciplinary engagement
- [46:03] — The "contract" between scholarship and community
- [50:10] — Confessional scholarship in South Asian studies
- [54:33] — Pedagogy, thinking alongside worldviews
- [58:10] — Reflections on the field of religious studies and its future
- [61:17] — Final thoughts: religious studies and world peace
Conclusion
This episode is essential listening for scholars of South Asian religions, students of contemporary religious engagement, and anyone interested in the revitalization of religious studies. It introduces the field of Engaged Jainism, showcasing rich, methodologically diverse scholarship and emphasizing the importance of bridging insider and outsider perspectives for both academic rigor and societal relevance.