Arihanta Institute is pleased to announce that Dr. Jonathan Dickstein, Tīrthaṅkara Śreyāṃśanātha Endowed Assistant Professor of Jain and Vegan Studies, has been awarded a 2026 research grant from the Culture & Animals Foundation.

 

The grant supports Dr. Dickstein’s project, “Engaged Ahimsa and the Right to Rescue: Jain Philosophy, Animal Sanctuaries, and Direct Action in the American Animal Rights Movement.” This research advances a growing body of scholarship at the intersection of Jain ethics, animal advocacy, and contemporary social movements.

 

At the center of the project is a fundamental philosophical question:

 

Drawing on classical Jain ethical frameworks, particularly the threefold understanding of nonviolence (kṛta, kārita, anumata), the project examines how responsibility extends beyond direct harm to include complicity and passive allowance. In doing so, it brings Jain philosophy into dialogue with emerging debates in animal ethics and the “right to rescue” movement.

 

Dr. Dickstein’s research will combine:

 

The project situates modern animal sanctuaries within the broader lineage of Jain pañjrapole traditions, while also engaging the intellectual legacy of Gandhian nonviolence and civil resistance. By placing Jain thought in conversation with present-day activism, this work exemplifies the mission of Engaged Jain Studies: rigorous scholarship oriented toward real-world ethical challenges.

 

The intended outcome is a peer-reviewed, open-access academic article, contributing to fields such as Religious Studies, Animal Studies, Ethics, and Food Studies.

 

This award reflects the continued leadership of Arihanta Institute faculty in advancing interdisciplinary research that brings Jain philosophical insights into global conversations on compassion, responsibility, and justice.

 

🔗 Learn more about all the 2026 CAF grantees.