Karen Ruffle

Karen Ruffle is a Professor of History of Religions at the University of Toronto's Mississauga (UTM) and St. George (UTSG) campuses. She co-edits the International Journal of Islam in Asia and the DeGruyter series Religion and Society, while convening the international working group Sensing Shi'ism.

• PhD in Religious Studies, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
• MA in Religious Studies, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
• BA in Religion, Middlebury College

Her research focuses on South Asian Shiʿism, emphasizing devotional texts, ritual practices, and material culture. Fieldwork spans India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, and Syria. Current projects include two monographs on Shiʿi material culture in South Asia.

As co-editor and working group convenor, Ruffle fosters interdisciplinary collaboration on Shi'i studies through ethnographic, theoretical, and empirical approaches to material culture, sensorium, and ritual practices.

She contributes to academic leadership through editorial roles and international scholarly networks.