
Dr. James Hastings
Title(s)
Associate Professor, History
Department/College/School
History & Political Science
Location(s)
Wingate
Department(s)
History
Contact Information
Email
Office Phone
704-233-8087
Location
Burris 16-a
Education
Degree(s)
Ph.D, South Asian Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison 2002
M.A., South Asian Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison 1993
B.A., Comparative Literature, Reed College 1974
M.A., South Asian Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison 1993
B.A., Comparative Literature, Reed College 1974
Biography
Biography
After college, I was a jack-of-all-trades, working as a postal worker, waiter, private detective, and professional chef before heading for graduate school. Having traveled to India several times and become enamored of its culture, I decided to engage in formal graduate study focused on the religions of India in order to share my passion with others. Ultimately, I ended up teaching about the history and culture of not just India, but of much of Asia as well. My lesson: it's never too late to pursue your passion.
Employed Since
2005
Research
Research
- Hindu and Jain monastic traditions
- The historiography of Southeast Asia
- Asian foodways
Publications
Publications
- “Sensory Experiences as Elements of Asian Studies Field Trips” in Education About Asia, Vol. 19, no. 1 (Spring 2014): 44-47
- “Bikaner” and “Rajasthan” in India Today: An Encyclopedia of Life in the Republic edited by Arnold P. Kaminsky and Roger D. Long (Greenwood Publishing, 2011)
- “Renouncing Renunciation: Viraha Bhakti, Veer Bhakti and the Rajput Ethos among Dadupanthi Nagas, circa 1660-1860 CE” in Incompatible Visions: South Asian Religions in History and Culture edited by James Blumenthal (Madison: University of Wisconsin – Center for South Asia, 2006)
- “Poets, Warriors and Brothers: The Shifting Identities of Rajput Dadupanthis, circa 1660-1860 CE” in Culture, Communities and Change edited by Varsha Joshi (Jaipur: Rawat Publications and Institute of Rajasthan Studies, 2002)
Presentations
Presentations
- Why Jainism: Incorporating Jainism into the Undergraduate Curriculum
ASIANetwork Annual Conference, San Diego, April 2019 - India at 70: A Review of its Progress and Possibilities
World Affairs Council of Charlotte, June 2017 - Identity & Revival in a Jain Pilgrimage Center
ASIANetwork Annual Conference, St. Louis, April 2015 - What Every Student Needs to Know about India: Approaches to Teaching India as an Element of World History Teaching about India Conference, UNC-Asheville, September 2013
- Incense, Spices and Stinky Tofu: Sensory Experiences as Elements of Asian Studies Field Trips
Association for Asian Studies Annual Meeting, San Diego, April 2013 - On the Margins: Southeast Asia in the World History Curriculum
World History Association Symposium on Southeast Asia, Siem Reap, Cambodia, January 2012 - Marching to Drumbeats: Processions and the Delineation of Jain Identity in a South Indian Pilgrim Center
American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting, San Francisco, November 2011 - Glory Days: The “Renaissance” of a Digambar Jain Pilgrimage Complex
Annual Conference on South Asia, University of Wisconsin-Madison, October 2009 [panel chair] - Tradition and Modernity in the Jain Bhattaraka Traditions of Karnataka
American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting, San Diego, November 2007 - Devotional Religious Movements in Medieval Rajasthani History
Invited lecture, Jain Vishwa Bharati Institute and University, Ladnun (Rajasthan), India July 2006
Awards
Awards
- Japan Foundation Fellowship for Japan Studies Workshop at Belmont University, 2014
- Freeman Foundation Fellowship, Japan Studies Association’s Summer Institute for Infusing Japan Studies into the Undergraduate Curriculum, Honolulu, 2013
- WINGS Grant to attend World History Association Symposium on Southeast Asia in Cambodia, 2012
- Wingate University Spivey Instructorship, 2011-2012
- NEH Fellowship for Summer Institute at East West Center, Hawaii on The Dynamics of Cultural Unity and Diversity in Southeast Asia, 2011
- Wingate University Friends of the Library Faculty Award, 2010
- WINGS Grant for Faculty Research in India, Summer 2009
- Fellowship, International Summer School for Jain Studies in India, Summer 2006
- American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS) Junior Research Fellowship, 1997-98
- American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS) Hindi Language Fellowship in Varanasi (India), 1996-97
Courses I Teach
Courses I Teach
- GPS/HIST 320
- HIST 315: Modern East Asia
- HIST 321: Culture and History of Japan
- HIST 323: Southeast Asia: Crossroads of Cultures
- W'International: Singapore & Malaysia
- W'International: Cambodia
- W'International: Taiwan
Interesting Fact About Me
Interesting Fact About Me
- I once climbed to the top of the Grand Teton, 13,775 feet.
- In college, I had interesting encounters with Allen Ginsberg and Andy Warhol
- In 2009, the Jain pilgrimage town of Shravanabelagola, India held a day in my honor.
What I Love About Wingate
What I Love About Wingate
Working with highly motivated students and helping those who need some motivation.