Jainism is a living Indian religious tradition, which rose around the sixth century BCE andlater developed into two branches: Digambarism and Śvetāmbarism. Central toDigambarism’s identity (dig-ambara, lit. "clothed in air") ...read more
Being enlisted as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO since 2010, Kalbeliya dance from Rajasthan is nowadays generally conceptualized as an ancient tradition from India. However, this same dance practice, also ...read more
In classical India, philosophers from the different schools built a common area of discussions within which an agreement on philosophical issues could be achieved. Focusing on the 11th century CE ...read more
This research project thematizes reforms and their impact on the social embedding, self-image and social behaviour of monastic groups during the High Middle Ages (tenth-twelfth centuries). Parallel to, and to ...read more
This project focuses on the leadership of ‘second-generation reformers’ in monasteries from the central Middle Ages (10th-early 12th centuries) to investigate the phenomenon of monastic reform as a long-term process. ...read more
This PhD research examined contemporary perceptions of Female Genital Cutting (FGC) through the lens of competing authoritative discourses. It maintained a particular focus on conceptualizations of the relation between FGC and religion, ...read more
Incoming visiting fellowship of prof. Diane Reilly in the context of a collaboration with Steven Vanderputten on the Acts of the Synod of Arras.read more
The present research has three aims. The first is to explore how far extant monastic institutions maintain a sense of continuity vis-à-vis the three above-mentioned historical codices, in both theory ...read more
My doctoral project deals with the legend of Aśoka, with special emphasis on Kunāla. Since the versions of this legend in different languages have hitherto only been studied individually and ...read more