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Anthropology
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UNT Scholarly Works
Bishnoi: An Eco-Theological "New Religious Movement" In The Indian Desert
Date: August 2010
Creator: Jain, Pankaj
Description: This article discusses the authors fieldwork with the Bishnois. Abstract: Although Rajasthan is the "desert" state in the North West of India, it has been a fertile ground for interreligious interactions for the last several centuries, welcoming or battling the new groups entering South Asia. This article presents the author's fieldwork done with the Bishnois, a Rajasthani community that transcends the boundaries of Hinduism and Islam. Although Bishnois are now considered a caste-group within the Hindu community, they were classified with Muslims in 1891 Census of Marwar. The author notes that despite the several common elements of Hindu and Muslim practices and ideas in this community, at present the Bishnois reject any connection with Islam. The article concludes that this "Hinduization" can be contextualized with similar process taking place with several other "liminal" communities.
Contributing Partner: UNT College of Public Affairs and Community Service
Permallink:digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc29807/
Bollywood and Beyond: Hinduism Changing the World
Date: June 28, 2010
Creator: Jain, Pankaj
Description: This article discusses Hinduism. The ideals of Hinduism, such as pluralism, dharma, ritam, and nonviolence hold important lessons for the future of Hinduism in particular and for humanity in general.
Contributing Partner: UNT College of Public Affairs and Community Service
Permallink:digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc38887/
The Cosmic Dance of Obama-Raja on Newsweek
Date: November 2010
Creator: Jain, Pankaj
Description: This article discusses an image that appears on the front cover of Newsweek magazine that depicts President Barack Obama in the cosmic dance pose of the Hindu deity Lord Nataraja (some have called it the Obama-Raja posture). Within a matter of hours after Newsweek depicted this image on its website, several Hindu organizations, Hindu websites, Hindus on social media sites, started reacting to this portrayal of one of their major gods.
Contributing Partner: UNT College of Public Affairs and Community Service
Permallink:digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc29810/
Dharmic Ecology: Perspectives from the Swadhyaya Practitioners
Date: 2009
Creator: Jain, Pankaj
Description: This article discusses dharmic ecology. Abstract: This is an article about the lives of the Swadhyayis, Swadhyaya practitioners, in the Indian states of Gujarat and Maharashtra. The Swadhyaya movement arose in the mid-twentieth century in Gujarat as a new religious movement led by its founder, the late Pandurang Shastri Athavale. In the author's research, he discovered that there is no category of "environmentalism" in the "way of life" of Swadhyayis living in the villages. Following Weightman and Pandey (1978), the author argues that the concept of dharma can be successfully applied as an overarching term for the sustainability of the ecology, environmental ethics, and the religious lives of Swadhyayis. Dharma synthesizes their way of life with environmental ethics based on its multidimensional interpretations.
Contributing Partner: UNT College of Public Affairs and Community Service
Permallink:digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc38896/
The Dharmic Method to Save the Planet
Date: May 12, 2011
Creator: Jain, Pankaj
Description: This article discusses environmentalism and ways in which dharmic methods can help save the planet. While most Americans are familiar with the terms such as "yoga" and "Bollywood," Indian perspectives toward the ecology seem to be largely unknown.
Contributing Partner: UNT College of Public Affairs and Community Service
Permallink:digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc38892/
Indology and Marxist Hermeneutics
Date: 2009
Creator: Jain, Pankaj
Description: This article discusses Indology and Marxist Hermeneutics. Although Indian civilization has been one of the most extensively researched fields in the Western Humanities departments, it remains one of the most misinterpreted subjects. Scholars have applied various theories and methods to study this ancient field. However, often their analyses and interpretations fail to do justice to this complex tradition. In the name of "scientific objectivity", they have often applied their own subjective bias. In this paper, I endeavor to demonstrate how the theories of Marx have misinterpreted Indian culture.
Contributing Partner: UNT College of Public Affairs and Community Service
Permallink:digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc36302/
Irony and the 'yoga wars'
Date: December 2010
Creator: Jain, Pankaj
Description: This article discusses the debated topic of whether yoga is a Hindu or Secular practice. It discusses the word Hindu and and some misconceptions about Hinduism, the root of yoga, and the potential causes and impacts of how and why this subject is being debated.
Contributing Partner: UNT College of Public Affairs and Community Service
Permallink:digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc30423/
Jainism, Dharma, and Environmental Ethics
Date: 2010
Creator: Jain, Pankaj
Description: This article discusses the absence of a formal category of environmental ethics in Jainism and explores Jainism's historical relationship to environmental ethics. It also compares Jainist perspectives on the consumption of natural resources with other lifestyles. From the few examples of Jain "environmentalism", this article also seeks to redefine the categories such as "religion" and "environmental ethics", especially as they are applied to the non-Western parts of the world such as the Jains in India.
Contributing Partner: UNT College of Public Affairs and Community Service
Permallink:digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc30424/
Swadhyaya's Dharmic Ecology
Date: 2010
Creator: Jain, Pankaj
Description: This paper is a summary of an essay by the author titled "Dharmic Ecology: Perspectives from the Swadhyaya Practitioners". It discusses the Swadhyayis and their Vrksamandiras, or tree-temples, and dharmic ecology.
Contributing Partner: UNT College of Public Affairs and Community Service
Permallink:digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc29808/
Ten Key Hindu Environmental Teachings
Date: 2010
Creator: Jain, Pankaj
Description: This article discusses diverse theologies in Hinduism and describes ten important Hindu teachings on the environment.
Contributing Partner: UNT College of Public Affairs and Community Service
Permallink:digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc29809/