Contributors, in Alphabetical Order

Summary

1) Dr. Mathieu E. Courville i) Ph.D. in Religious Studies, University of Ottawa, Canada. ii) Specializes in comparative history of religions, disciplinary history, orientalism, and postcolonial studies. iii) Edited The Next Step in Studying Religions: A Graduate's Guide (2007, Continuum). iv) His forthcoming monograph is Edward W. Said’s Rhetoric of the Secular. v) Future research focuses on heroic figure narratives (Jinas, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Muslim Jesus). 2) Bruno Demers i) M.A. in Sociology, University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM), Canada. ii) Focus: sociology of religion, anthropology of the body, and healing traditions. iii) Thesis: Healing Oneself in Modernity: A Case Study of Vipassana Meditation Practice in Quebec. iv) Studied embodiment in Jainism during graduate program (2006–2007). v) Conducted fieldwork on Jain pilgrims in Haridwar; plans research on Jains at Hindu Kumbh Mela. 3) Ellen Gough i) Master's student in Study of Religions, SOAS, University of London. ii) Resided in Varanasi (2005–2006); conducted 9-month field project on Jain daily worship. iii) Summary of work published in SOAS Center of Jain Studies Newsletter, Issue 3 (Feb 2008). iv) Studied Hindi and Sanskrit for three years; beginning Prākrit studies and Ph.D. at Yale University. 4) Sarah Hadmack i) M.A. in Religious Studies, University of Hawai‘i. ii) Research: Jain asceticism, Kali in non-Indian contexts, and Indian philosophies of ahimsa in peace/environmental movements. iii) Participated in ISSJS 2005 and 2007; serves on ISSJS Academic Council. iv) Teaches at Windward Community College and University of Hawai‘i (courses on Indian religions, ethics, Buddhism, and Jainism). 5) Pankaj Jain i) Born in Pali, Rajasthan; former software engineer. ii) M.A. from Columbia University and Ph.D. from University of Iowa in Indian Religions. iii) Dissertation: Dharma and Ecology of Traditional Indian Communities. iv) Explores intersections of Indian traditions and global ecological issues. v) Awarded for paper Householders and Renouncers in Indic Traditions (Temple University, 2005). vi) Presented research internationally; published in Association for Asian Studies newsletter (Spring 2005). vii) Developed “Exploring India: From Alex to Bill” course (accepted by AAR and Wabash Center). viii) Taught at Rutgers, Kean, and New Jersey City University; member of multiple academic bodies.