Associate Professor of Religious Studies South Asia Nanette R. Spina Associate Professor, Religious Studies, South Asia Her areas of interest include Hindu and Buddhist traditions in India, Sri Lanka, and North America. Her research inquiries explore the intersection of religion, gender, and migration, text and context, and religion in contemporary diaspora communities in North America. She utilizes historical and social scientific research methods (qualitative and quantitative) and has conducted field studies among religious communities in South Asia and North America. Her academic interests include: Transnational Studies in Religion, Indian Philosophical Thought, Ritual Studies, Guru Traditions, Migration, Gender Studies, and Religious Literacy and Pluralism. Dr. Spina supervises student projects in qualitative and quantitative field research and interdisciplinary studies. She teaches courses on South Asian religious traditions in the Department of Religion, and also serves on the faculty of the Center for Asian Studies. Dr. Spina is currently Co-chair for the Religion and Migration Unit of the American Academy of Religion. Links to her books are listed below. Monograph: “Women’s Authority and Leadership in a Hindu Goddess Tradition,” Palgrave Macmillan, 2017. Co-edited volume: "Gendered Agency in Transcultural Hinduism and Buddhism," Routledge, 2024. Education Education: PhD, McMaster University, Canada Selected Publications Selected Publications: Monograph: Women’s Authority and Leadership in a Hindu Goddess Tradition. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017. Women’s Authority and Leadership in a Hindu Goddess Tradition Co-Edited Volume: Gendered Agency in Transcultural Hinduism and Buddhism. New York: Routledge, 2024. Gendered Agency in Transcultural Hinduism and Buddhism
