معرفی
Aftab Jassal is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). His research focuses on the anthropology of religion, ritual performance, and human-divine interactions in South Asia, particularly in Uttarakhand. He examines how Hindu communities utilize narrative and ritual practices to construct social, ontological, and aesthetic realities. Jassal holds a PhD in Religion from Emory University (2014) and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Duke University (2013–2016).
Education:
- PhD in Religion, Emory University, 2014
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Duke University, 2013–2016
Research Interests: Jassal explores ritual storytelling, divine embodiment, environmental anthropology, and textual ontologies. His work highlights how practices like jāgar performances and temple worship negotiate textual authority and caste dynamics in Uttarakhand. He critiques binary notions of 'Great' and 'Little' traditions in Hinduism, emphasizing vernacular religious practices.
Awards: No awards explicitly mentioned in the text.
Advising & Grants: No specific advising records or grants listed. However, his research is affiliated with UCSD's South Asian Initiative.
Labs/Teams: Affiliated with the South Asian Initiative at UCSD, focusing on interdisciplinary South Asian studies.
