Jess Navarette
Doctoral Candidate
Biography
Jess Navarette works in Comparative Theology and Comparative Religion, particularly between the Hindu and Christian traditions. His current research focuses on Vaiṣṇava bhakti practices, figures, and texts, exploring their parallels within Christianity. His broader research includes South Asian traditions such as Buddhism and Jainism, Transnational Hinduism, Christian Mysticism, and Ritual Studies. Jess works with Hindi and Sanskrit as research languages, in both historical and contemporary contexts. Jess is also engaged in interreligious dialogue and interfaith events, academically and within local communities. He works with the Boston Theological Interreligious Consortium as an event coordinator and facilitator for the Interreligious Leadership Certification program and has been a community interfaith organizer for many years. Jess also has nearly a decade of experience as an educator in public and private schools in California. Further fields of interest include music and religion, hybrid religious belonging, spirituality and mysticism, contemplative practices, new religious movements, and religious pluralism.