Aditya Harchand

Aditya Harchand is a Ph.D. student in the Department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations at The University of Chicago, specializing in Tamil language and literature. He currently serves as a Lecturer for First-Year Tamil (Fall 2024). His research bridges literary history, religious studies, and material/sensory culture, focusing on polyglossia in early-modern Tamil Nadu through understudied multilingual texts (Arwi, Persian, Urdu, etc.).

Education:

• M.A., South Asian Languages and Civilizations, The University of Chicago (2024)
• M.A., History of Religions, Divinity School, The University of Chicago (2022)
• B.Arts Sc., Honours Arts & Science & Religious Studies, McMaster University (2020)

Research Interests: Explores intersections of Tamil literary traditions with Islam, material culture, and sensory histories. Recent work examines colonial-era domestic remedies and perfumes, interrogating how sensory practices shaped social and religious identities.

Awards:

• Chester W. Laing Memorial Fellowship (Divinity School, 2022)

Teaching: In addition to lecturing, he has served as a Teaching Assistant for courses on Buddhism and a Course Assistant for a Divinity School seminar on Buddhist iconography.