Jain Studies is the academic exploration of Jainism, one of the oldest living religious traditions in the world, originating in India over 2,500 years ago. Jainism emphasizes non-violence (ahimsa), non-absolutism (anekantavada), compassion for all living beings, and ascetic practices aimed at ethical self-cultivation. Its philosophy and doctrine have contributed to community engagement with issues of environmental sustainability, animal rights activism, and mindful consumption, with growing relevance in today’s world as we face critical global issues like climate change, social inequality, and mental well-being. Jainism’s core teachings focus on ethical conduct, self-discipline, and the pursuit of individual moral virtue, providing a profound framework for understanding concepts of morality and the nature of the soul and self alongside other South Asian religions, including Buddhism and Hinduism.
The Jain Studies program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is a new and expanding initiative, established in 2023 and housed under the Shri Anantanatha Endowed Chair in Jain Studies in Jain Studies within the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures. With a focus on both academic scholarship and community outreach, the program offers students the opportunity to engage with Jain ethical practices through interdisciplinary courses, workshops, and service learning. The program also connects the UW-Madison campus with local Jain and South Asian diaspora communities, building bridges that promote cultural understanding and collaboration.
Students interested in exploring Jainism within a broader South Asian context are encouraged to learn more about the Asian Languages & Cultures major, as well as the South Asian Studies Certificate offered through the Center for South Asia.
Śrī Anantnāth Endowed Chair in Jain Studies
Dr. Miki Chase is Assistant Professor in South Asian Studies and holds the Shri Anantanatha Endowed Chair in Jain Studies in ALC. Her research and teaching focuses on intersections of religion, law, and gender in questions of care around death and dying in India, with a specific focus on Jainism. Dr. Chase’s book project in progress is an examination of social negotiations of the ascetic ethical disposition in the Jain voluntary fast unto death. Based on fieldwork in Delhi, Jaipur, and Mumbai, her work uses ethnographic methods to trace the gendered norms through which Jain laywomen reshape ideals and concepts of death outlined in scripture, attending to the complexities of urban domestic life, the medicalization of death, and the shifting political and legal terrain following public interest litigation contesting the legality of the fast. Her research has been funded by the American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS) (2019-20) and the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research (2018-19). Email Dr. Chase at mochase@wisc.edu.
The Shri Anantanatha Endowed Chair in Jain Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison represents a significant commitment to the academic study of Jainism and its broader cultural and philosophical contexts. Established to promote the study and teaching of Jainism, the Chair supports research and educational initiatives that explore Jain philosophy, religion, history, and ethics. The University of Wisconsin-Madison is grateful to Bipin & Rekha Shah, Harshad & Raksha Shah, Jasvant & Meera Modi, and Prem & Sandhya Jain for their generous gift, which enabled the endowment of the Shri Anantanatha Chair.
News & Events
04/17/25 – Dr. Nandita Punj, Gurudev Kanjiswami Postdoctoral Scholar in Jain Studies in the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies at Arizona State University, will visit UW-Madison to give a talk as part of the Center for South Asia’s Lecture Series. Her talk, titled “Giving Up and Living it Large: A Jain Tale and its Early Modern Painted Iterations,” will take place from 12:00-1:00pm in Ingraham Hall 206 and will be followed by a brown bag lunch open to students from all departments.
Dr. Punj’s talk will be the first Shri Anantanatha Annual Lecture in Jain Studies, which going forward will be a dedicated platform for showcasing research and fostering dialogue on Jain philosophy, history, art, and culture, integrated into the Center for South Asia’s ongoing Lecture Series and organized by the Shri Anantanatha Endowed Chair in Jain Studies at UW-Madison. This annual event aims to bring varied scholarly voices in Jain Studies to campus, enriching the academic community and promoting a deeper understanding of Jain traditions and their global significance.
03/07/25 – Dr. Miki Chase delivered a talk titled “Between Doctrine and Domesticity: Gender, Ethics, and the Vow of Sallekhanā” as part of the Emerging Scholars in Jain Studies Lecture Series, hosted by the Departments of Religious Studies at UC-Davis and UC-Riverside.
02/24/25 – Jain Studies @ UW-Madison has received two grants for curriculum and programming development over the next three years (2025-2027), including major support from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Anonymous Fund Block Grant and a generous grant from the Uberoi Foundation for Religious Studies. Stay tuned for exciting news on what’s to come!
11/23/24 – Dr. Miki Chase (UW-Madison) organized “Anthropological Perspectives: Reflections on Jainism from the Field,” a session co-sponsored by the Anthropology of Religion Unit and the Jain Studies Unit, at the 2024 San Diego Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion (AAR). Other presenters included Professor Emeritus John Cort (Denison University), Shivani Bothra (CSU Long Beach), David Eric Silverberg (Columbia University), and Eric Villalobos (Emory University). The session included scholars in Jain Studies who have done extensive fieldwork, and reflections on the contributions of dearly departed Professor Emeritus of Anthropology and Asian Studies at Amherst College, Dr. Lawrence “Alan” Babb.
10/30/24 – Jain Studies @ UW-Madison hosts “Action and Effect in the Karmabhūmi: Jain Perspectives on Agency,” a full day symposium at the 52nd Annual Conference on South Asia. Organized by Dr. Miki Chase with Dr. Ana Bajzelj (UC-Riverside) and Dr. Gregory Clines (Trinity University).
09/30/24 – Dr. Miki Chase, Shri Anantanatha Endowed Chair in Jain Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is named recipient of the 2024 Mohini Jain Presidential Chair in Jain Studies Best Dissertation Prize from the Department of Religious Studies at University of California, Davis. Read more.
10/05/23 – Public Talk: “Nonviolence as Practice: Lessons from a Museum Exhibition about Jainism” by Dr. Johannes Beltz, Chief Curator of “Being Jain” Exhibition, Indian and Southeast Asian Art, Head of Collections & Deputy Director, Museum Rietberg, Zurich, Switzerland.
Jain Studies Connections at UW-Madison
Related Course Offerings
ASIAN 252: Contemporary Indian Society
ASIAN 205: Animal Ethics in Asia
ASIAN 274: Religion in South Asia
ASIAN 303: Jainism: Religion and Culture of Non-Violence
ASIAN 405: Gods and Goddesses of South Asia
ASIAN 428: Visual Culture of India
ASIAN 473: Meditation in Indian Buddhism & Hinduism
ASIAN 655: Ethnography in Asia
