Mary Whitney Kelting


M. Whitney Kelting is an American ethnographer and scholar of Jainism who is an Associate Professor of Religious Studies in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Northeastern University, College of Social Sciences and Humanities.
Professor Kelting’s research interests include the religions of South Asia, ritual theory, gender studies and cultural studies and she has published two books and many articles on these topics. She is a member of the editorial board of the Centre of Jaina Studies at the School of African and Oriental Studies, University of London. M. Whitney Kelting received her B.A from Colby College, and her MA and PhD in South Asian Language and Literature from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Research papers and conferences

Tournaments of Honor: Jain Auctions, Gender, and Reputation,  History of Religions 48:284-308 May 2009 
  • Religion, 39:1, 1-10, DOI:
  • ''Good wives, family protectors: Writing Jain Laywomen's memorials''