Sherry Fohr
Chair/Associate Professor of Religion
B.A., Ithaca College
M.A., University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Ph.D., University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Fulbright Scholar
sherry.fohr@converse.edu
Phone: (864) 596-9100
Office: Carmichael 111B

Dr. Sherry Elizabeth Fohr received her BA from Ithaca College, and MA and PhD in Religious Studies from the University of Virginia. She studied the Hindi language for one year in India, the Urdu language for six months in Pakistan, and received a Fulbright-Hays Fellowship to conduct one year of ethnographic research in India in the Jain community. After teaching adjunct at Mary Baldwin College, she taught for four years at Wofford College where she received a "Teacher of the Year" award from the Blue Key Honor Society in 2005. Her courses are highly interdisciplinary and include ancient scriptures, anthropological information, politics, and modern events relevant to the study of religion. Women and religion is one of her teaching interests as well as the study of modern religious issues through fiction and film. Her courses include the world religions survey course and upper level courses about Asian religions.

Fohr's publications include:

"Satis, Chastity, and Supernatural Power: Jain Nuns' Preponderance.” Journal for Jaina Studies, SOAS. Forthcoming 2009.

“Contemporary Jain Satis-Narratives.” Southeast Review of Asian Studies 29
(2007), pp. 209-217.

“External Rules and Restrictions: Female Jain Renouncers.” In Peter Flügel, ed., Studies in Jain History and Culture: Doctrines and Dialogues. London:
Routledge, February 2006.

“Jainism.” In Thomas Riggs ed., Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious
Practices, Thomson Gale, 2005.

“Why are there more Jain Nuns than Monks?” Virginia Review of Asian Studies
4 (Fall 2002), pp.123-136.