Steven M. Vose

Steven M. Vose serves as an Assistant Professor holding the Bhagwan Suparshvanatha Endowed Professorship in Jain Studies within the History Department at the University of Colorado Denver. This specialized position supports research and teaching on Jain history, philosophies, art, and culture, along with courses aligned with Jain values including nonviolence, conflict resolution, social justice, human rights, sustainability, and animal rights.

His academic credentials include a Ph.D. in South Asia Studies from the University of Pennsylvania (2013), M.T.S. from Harvard University Divinity School (2006), and B.A. in Religious Studies from St. Lawrence University (2001), where he graduated Summa Cum Laude and as a Phi Beta Kappa member.

Vose specializes in the cultural and religious history of South Asia from the late medieval Islamicate era (ca. 1200-1700) to present. His research examines relationships between religious communities and political powers, with particular focus on mercantile caste communities from western India who practice Jainism. He also investigates how neoliberalism and social media foster religious and ethno-nationalist politics in contemporary South Asia, exploring implications for regional democracy. His theoretical interests bridge memory studies, literary theory, historiography, and material culture analysis.

His publications reveal consistent scholarly engagement with Jain intellectual culture across historical periods, connecting medieval Islamicate interactions with contemporary diaspora communities. This interdisciplinary approach demonstrates how religious traditions adapt to changing political contexts while maintaining core identities, spanning historical analysis, religious studies, and digital media impacts.

• Edward C. Dimock, Jr. Book Prize in the Indian Humanities from the American Institute of Indian Studies (for "Reimagining Jainism in Islamic India")

Through his endowed professorship, Vose supports undergraduate and graduate students in Jain studies and related fields. His teaching includes courses on nonviolence from historical to contemporary contexts (including #BlackLivesMatter), race and gender in religious nationalisms, world religions, and Asian philosophies. His research is advanced through two major book projects examining Jain intellectual history during the Delhi Sultanate period and contemporary Jain organizations in diaspora communities.

Vose's work connects academic scholarship with societal issues through exploration of nonviolence traditions and religious pluralism, contributing to interdisciplinary conversations about religious communities' roles in shaping historical and contemporary political landscapes.