Jason Neelis
Areas of Expertise
- Ancient History (Greek, Roman, Near East)
- Archaeology
- Classical Studies
- Religion
Biography
I received my PhD in Asian Languages and Literature at the University of Washington, and my MA in Asian Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. I did my BA in Classics and South Asian Studies at Brown University.
Before joining Laurier, I was a research fellow in the Käte Hamburger Kolleg at Ruhr University Bochum (2009-2010).
I have also taught at the University of Florida (2003-2009), Florida State University (1999-2000) and Antioch College’s Buddhist Studies Program in Bodh Gaya, India (2001).
In Spring 2018 I was a Visiting Professor as Numata Chair for Buddhist Studies at Vienna University and in Fall 2023 I was a Visiitng Professor for the University Buddhist Educational Foundation at the University of Sydney.
I study South Asian religions in historical, economic and material contexts with an emphasis on issues related to processes of cross-cultural mobility and exchange. I direct ongoing projects on Upper Indus Petroglyphs and Inscriptions in Northern Pakistan funded by SSHRC research grants. I also work on early Budddhist manuscripts from ancient Gandhāra, including summaries of stories labelled as avadānas. I coordinated a collaborative research project on Buddhist rebirth narratives in literary and visual cultures of Gandhara. My interests extend broadly to dynamic interactions between South Asian religions (including Hinduism and Jainism), transregional connections and movements across Asia via overland and maritime networks, and the role of cultural and religious catalysts in the past and present.
Languages
- Hindi
- Urdu