Heleen De Jonckheere is a scholar of Jain literature and Jain history. Her current research focuses on the idea of translation and adaptation in the Jain context and in South Asia in general, and on the religious implications of translation. Her further interests include Jain narrative literature, Jain manuscript culture, religious plurality in historical India as well as the interactions of popular forms of religiosity with more established forms of religion. She received her PhD from Ghent University in December 2020 and continued her work at the University of Chicago. Currently, she is a Bhagavan Shitalnath post-doctoral fellow at the Centre for South Asian Civilizations, Department of Historical Studies, Mississauga Campus. At Ghent University, she is appointed as guest professor in the department of Languages and Cultures.
Education
- PhD candidate (BOF, Special Research Fund), 1/10/2016 -21/12/2020, Dissertation: "The Neverending Test. A Jain Tradition of Narrative Adaptations."
- Master in Indian languages and Cultures (Hindi-Sanskrit) from Ghent University, 3/07/2015, Dissertation: "The Darśanasāra by Devasena: On the Perception of the Other.
- Bachelor in Indian languages and Cultures (Hindi-Sanskrit) from Ghent University, 4/07/2014.
-
Master in General Economics, magna cum laude, CERISE prize, 9/09/2021, Dissertation: "Jain Religion and Attitudes in Economic Behaviour."
