Jain Education and Research Foundation
Upcoming Event:
Apr 11, 2013 | 6:00 PM | FIU Modesto Maidique Campus| GC Ball Room
Jainism, one of the world religions ascribes rather prominent roles to women within its own system. Based on original texts, contemporary observations and a growing number of studies in the last decades, this lecture will explore the conception of gender at various levels within Jain practice. Debates and recent trends will be investigated as well.
Of Franco-Indian origin, Nalini Balbir is professor of Indology of University of Paris-3 Sorbonne Nouvelle and at Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (Section Sciences historiques et philogiques), where she teaches Sanskrit, Middle-Indian languages and Hindi. Her fields of research are primarily Jainism in all aspects (philological and contemporary), Theravada Buddhism as well as Pali and Prakrit languages and literature. One of her contributions had women in Jainism as its topic. Recently she has been engaged in cataloguing Jain manuscripts in various European countries. She is at present the chief editor of the Jainpedia website, containing encyclopedia of Jainism online and an educational resource containing descriptions of digitized manuscripts.
Co-sponsored: Jain Education and Research Foundation, Bhagawan Mahavir Professorship of Jain Studies, Program in the Study of Spirituality, Center of Humanities in Urban Environment and Department of Religious Studies, FIU.