Roots, routes, and routers : social and digital dynamics in the Jain diaspora

In the past three decades, Jains living in diaspora have been instrumental in the digital boom of Jainism-related websites, social media accounts, and mobile applications. Arguably, the increased availability and pervasive use of different kinds of digital media impacts how individuals deal with their roots; for example, it allows for greater contact with family and friends, but also with religious figures, back in India. It also impacts upon routesfor example, it provides new ways for individual Jains to find each other, organize, coordinate, and put down roots in their current country of residence. Using extensive corpora of Jainism-related websites and mobile applications (2013-2018), as well as ethnographic data derived from participant observation, interviews, and focus groups conducted in the United States, United Kingdom, and Belgian Jain communities (2014-2017), this article examines patterns of use of digital media for social and religious purposes by Jain individuals and investigates media strategies adopted by Jain diasporic organizations. It attempts to explain commonalities and differences in digital engagement across different geographic locations by looking at differences in migration history and the layout of the local Jain communities

Crisis and continuation : the digital relocation of Jain socio-religious praxis during the COVID-19 pandemic

In early 2020, Jain diaspora communities and organizations that had been painstakingly built over the past decades were faced with the far-reaching consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and its concomitant restrictions. With the possibility of regular face-to-face contact and participation in recurring events—praying, eating, learning, and meditating together—severely limited in most places, organizations were compelled to make a choice. They either had to suspend their activities, leaving members to organize their religious activities on an individual or household basis, or pursue the continuation of some of their habitual activities in an online format, relying on their members’ motivation and technical skills. This study will explore how many Jain organizations in London took to digital media in its different forms to continue to engage with their members throughout 2020. Looking at a selection of websites and social media channels, it will examine online discourses that reveal the social and mental impact of the pandemic on Jains and the broader community, explore the relocation of activities to the digital realm, and assess participation in these activities. In doing so, this article will open a discussion on the long-term effects of this crisis-induced digital turn in Jain religious praxis, and in socio-cultural life in general

Lost and found, centre and periphery : narratives of the Jain diasporic experience online

The article will investigate the contemporary Jain diasporic experience through an analysis of online narratives on 'diaspora Jains' and 'diaspora Jainism'. Over the past two decades, digital media have become an important new arena to imagine, construct, and share the diasporic experience, both for members of the diasporic community and for Jains living in India. This paper will elaborate on and compare different narratives on the Jain diasporic experience found online, identify recurring themes, and question where and why specific discourses on diaspora are propagated. The juxtaposition of 'Indian' and 'diasporic' narratives illustrates how digital media have brought the diasporic periphery in closer contact with the religious centre, and how this renewed connection can spark subtle negotiations and heated debates about what it means to be 'in diaspora'

Transnational connections and religious development in the Jain Diaspora through an exploration of the e-diaspora

Jainism is an Indian religion, established in the sixth century BCE. From the mid-19th century onwards, a shift has been noted from the ascetic ideal of world-renunciation to an ideology of world-transformation, mostly fueled by British educated Jains and from within the Jain diaspora community. The growing degree of transnational connectedness through computer-mediated communication makes the analysis of e-diasporas an important part of any research on contemporary diasporic phenomena. This paper will investigate the different developmental trajectories of Jainism in diaspora that can be discerned in the Jain e-diaspora. A corpus of some 300 interconnected Jainism-related websites and web-based resources (including facebook pages and discussion groups), forms the basis for the visualization of the Jain e-diaspora used in this paper. From the topological characteristics of this network graph we can draw some preliminary conclusions, based on the formation of clusters (based on common location, common sect adherence, or other common factors), the degree of interconnectedness, and the connection with websites based in India and with other South Asian diasporas such as the Hindu e-diaspora. The paper will then look into the content of the main sites in the corpus. Questions that will be addressed at this stage include: What is the target audience? What sectarian or philosophical view is propagated? What are the main topics of discussion? Is the website, and by extent the network, representational or participatory? This analysis of the Jain e-diaspora yields valuable insights into the structure of the Jain diaspora, and into the developmental trajectories of this religion in the context of the diaspora. Additionally, this paper will address the limitations of web-based research, such as questions of representativeness, access, and gender and generational patterns of ICT use. In doing so, it will propose a research agenda for further ethnographic inquiry

Double-clicking the temple bell: devotional aspects of Jainism online

In its earliest scriptures, Jainism appears as a non-theist religious tradition with a heavy emphasis on individual ascetic practice on the path towards the ultimate goal of spiritual liberation, or mokṣa. However, there is also early evidence of more devotional elements that attained a prominent place in the religious life not only of the lay community, but also of Jain monks and nuns. Practices like bhajan and stavan (songs of devotion), darśan (worship through seeing a deity, a guru or a holy place), and elaborate pūjā ceremonies (offerings of different substances) have recently found their place in the wonderful world of the World Wide Web. In their computer mediated form, these practices are often doubly contested: the tension between scriptures emphasizing individual asceticism and practices based on devotional aspects is further enhanced by the tension between offline devotional practices, often performed in temples with other members of the community, and practices mediated by the Internet, where problems of ritual purity of the online place of worship and the right mind-set of the devotee come into play. Introducing the little explored case of online Jainism, this article aims to add to discussions about computer mediated religious practices, their function, and the possible grounds for their contestation. After situating the different devotional practices in Jainism, I will look into their prevalence online, attempt to identify their target audience and look into their reception. The data used are drawn from a broader dataset of online resources on Jainism and from a series of exploratory interviews conducted between November 2013 and July 2014 on different locations, both in India and in the diaspora