Aleksandra Restifo

Aleksandra (Sasha) Restifo is the Bhagwan Mahavir Assistant Professor in Jain Studies at the Religious Studies department of Florida International University. Her research focuses on emotion's role in ritual and social culture within South Asian religions, particularly Jainism. She explores these themes through medieval Prakrit and Sanskrit sources, contributing to understandings of Jain metaphysics, ritual practices, and community dynamics.

Dr. Restifo holds a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Yale University, an M.A. in Religions from SOAS University of London, and additional degrees in Hindi and Indology. Her academic career includes postdoctoral research at the University of Oxford and Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Her honors include fellowships from the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, the American Institute of Indian Studies, and Yale’s South Asian Studies Council. Her work appears in journals like Journal of Indian Philosophy and International Journal of Jaina Studies.

Her current book project, The Theater of Renunciation: Aesthetics of Emotion in Medieval Jainism, examines emotional concepts central to Jain intellectual history. She also studies medieval and early modern Jain literary traditions.