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- Rodney Sebastian, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., University of FloridaM.A., National University of SingaporeB.A., (Hons 1st Class) Curtin University of Technology, AustraliaB.A., National University of Singapore
Dr. Rodney Sebastian is an Assistant Professor from the Theology and Religious Studies Department at St. John's University. He is an educator and scholar on Asian Religions, teaching courses on religion in India, China, and Southeast Asia. He is interested in sharing a deeper appreciation and understanding of how ethics from the dharma traditions can engage with modern challenges in the social and political fields. His research interests include how dharmic ethics engage with topics such as governance, science, and technology.
He has a broad interest in religion and state issues. He has published several scholarly articles on Manipuri Vaishnava history, Indian kingship, and the Mahabharata. In his PhD dissertation submitted at the University of Florida, he examined the intersection of politics, religion, and aesthetics in the Northeast Indian state of Manipur. He is also interested in themes of governance and statecraft articulated in classical Asian texts, as well as how modern city-states like Singapore manage religious diversity.
Having lived in Singapore before moving to the United States, he is passionate about sharing his exposure to religious practices, cultural traditions, and perspectives from South Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia. He is also part of the Bhāgavata Purāṇa Research Project, hosted by the Oxford Center for Hindu Studies.
His research and pedagogy inform each other. In his classes, he includes textual analysis, fieldtrips, community engagement, and features various high-impact learning practices to foster student involvement and participation.
Besides academic work, Dr. Sebastian is interested in promoting interfaith dialogue to foster greater understanding, and peaceful co-existence in religiously diverse spaces.
THE 2830 Introduction to Hinduism
THE 2840 Introduction to Buddhism
Journal Articles
2025. ‘Statecraft and Political Ideology in the Indian Epics.’ Journal of Vaishnava Studies 33(2), 71-90.
2022. ‘Women’s Rāslīlā and Saṅkīrtana: The Enduring Legacy of Manipur’s Sija Laiobi." Journal of Vaishnava Studies 28(2).
2021. ‘Refashioning Kingship in Manipur in the 18th Century: The Politico-Religious Projects of Garibniwaz and Bhāgyacandra.’ Religions, 12, 1041.
2019. ‘Cultural Fusion in a Religious Dance Drama: the Sociopolitical Origins of the Manipuri Rāsalīlās.’ Journal of Vaishnava Studies, 27 (2), 75-94.
2008. ‘Hare Krishnas in Singapore: Agency, State and Hinduism.’ SOJOURN, 23(1), 63-86. Co-authored with Ashwin Parameswaran.
2007. 'Who is a Brahmin in Singapore?' Modern Asian Studies, 41(2), 253-286. Co-authored with Ashwin Parameswaran.
2007. ‘Conversion and the Family: Chinese Hare Krishnas.' Journal of Contemporary Religion, 22 (3), 341-359. Co-authored with Ashwin Parameswaran.
2006. 'Doing business in India' New Zealand Journal of Asian Studies, 8(1), 17-40. Co-authored with Ashvin Parameswaran and Faizal Yahya.
2006. 'The value of ranking South and Southeast Asian Studies Journals' Serials Review, 32(3), 263-276. Co-authored with Ashwin Parameswaran.
2005. 'Tourism and the South Asia Littoral: Voices from the Maldives.' South Asia, 28(3), 457-480. Co-authored with Faizal Yahya and Ashvin Parameswaran.
2005. 'The Economic Cost of Tourism in the Maldives ' Tourism: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 54(1), 33-44. Co-authored with Faizal Yahya, Ashvin Parameswaran, and Inaz Ahmed.
Book Chapters
2024. "Reconciling Kṣatriya Dharma with Ahiṁsā in Mahābhārata: The Journey of Yudhiṣṭhira." In Ahiṃsā in Indic Traditions, edited by Jeffrey Long and Steven Rosen. London, U.K.: Lexington Books, (53- 68).
2018. "Reverse Pilgrimage": Performance, Manipuri Identity, and the Ranganiketan Cultural Arts Troupe. In J. Whalen-Bridge & A. M. Pinkney (Eds.), Religious Journeys in India. New York: SUNY.
2014. "Performing Identities: State-ISKCON Interactions in Singapore." In M. Feener & J. K. Finucane (Eds.). Proselytizing and the Limits of Religious Pluralism in an Era of Globalization (Vol. 4, pp. 147 – 169). Springer Singapore: Asia Research Institute