Justin Henry

Justin Henry serves as the Bhagwan Padma Prabhu Endowed Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of South Florida, specializing in South Asian religious traditions through multilingual literary analysis.

His academic credentials include:

• PhD in History of Religions, University of Chicago Divinity School (2017)

Henry's research spans Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism with concentrated focus on Ramayana narratives across Asia and the intersection of religious ethics with wealth acquisition. He examines historical attitudes toward business ethics and philanthropy using primary sources in Sanskrit, Pali, Sinhala, and Tamil, emphasizing subaltern perspectives in Sri Lankan history. His methodology bridges literary criticism, historical inquiry, and cultural studies to explore how religious frameworks shape economic practices in South Asia.

His seminal 2022 publication "Ravana's Kingdom: The Ramayana and Sri Lankan History from Below" (Oxford University Press) reinterprets Sri Lankan history through marginalized Ramayana traditions. Current projects include a comparative study of pan-Asian Ramayana variations and scholarly analysis of Jain, Hindu, and Buddhist historical perspectives on wealth ethics, demonstrating consistent thematic focus on narrative authority and socioeconomic dimensions of religion.

Henry's teaching portfolio encompasses Buddhist and Jain Philosophy and Literature, Hinduism, The God Debate, Religion and Wealth, and New Religious Movements, reflecting his interdisciplinary approach to religious studies.