A tiny but determined circle of scholars has kept Ajivika studies from fading completely into the shadows. Rather than entire careers devoted solely to this vanished sect, most researchers weave Ajivika threads into broader explorations of early Indian religions.

• Johannes Bronkhorst (University of Lausanne)
– His landmark book Buddhism in the Shadow of Brahmanism dedicates chapters to Ajivika determinism, teasing out how those doctrines rubbed shoulders with early Buddhist and Jain thought.

• Jason Neelis (University of Toronto)
– Best known for tracing the spread of Sanskrit culture, he occasionally peels back layers on Ajivika influence in Mauryan-era inscriptions and Ashokan edicts.

• Richard Gombrich (Oxford)
– While primarily a Buddhistist, Gombrich’s essays on Śramaṇa traditions slip in comparative nods to Ajivika fatalism, treating it as the “odd sibling” in ancient renouncer families.

• Michael Willis (British Library)
– As a manuscript specialist, Willis has cataloged a handful of fragments—some once thought Buddhist—that actually contain Ajivika terminology, opening fresh leads on lost texts.

In India today, a few rising voices have begun to shine a flashlight into those darker corners:

• Himanshu Mohan (University of Delhi)
– A PhD dissertation under revision, focusing on Ajivika references in Pāli chronicles. A monograph is due out in 2026, promising the first systematic treatment of Ajivika lore since early 20th-century surveys.

• Priya Jayaram (Jawaharlal Nehru University)
– Presented two papers at the 2024 American Academy of Religion meeting on Ajivika ethics and its “hard determinism,” sparking spirited debate over free will in ancient India.

• A special issue of the Journal of Indian Philosophy (2023)
– Guest-edited by Rohan Patel, it collects essays on “Obscure Indian Traditions,” three of which dissect Ajivika cosmology and social practice.

Although pure Ajivika specialists remain few and far between, these contributors keep the tradition from turning into a needle-in-a-haystack story. By stitching Ajivika thought into the tapestry of early Śramaṇa movements, they help modern readers appreciate just how rich—and unpredictable—India’s spiritual landscape once was.