Claire Robison

Claire Robison is Associate Professor of Religion and Asian Studies at Bowdoin College, affiliated with the Department of Religion within the College of Arts and Sciences. She is based in Kanbar Hall and can be reached at crobison@bowdoin.edu.

• BA, Oxford University
• MPhil, Cambridge
• PhD, University of California-Santa Barbara

Her research focuses on South Asian religions, especially Hindu and Islamic traditions in urban India. She explores how religious identities are reshaped by changing notions of family, gender, class, and regional identity, with particular interest in transnational religious networks and the mediation of religious authority in modern urban environments. Her work bridges ethnography, religious studies, and postcolonial theory.

Her recent publications reveal a strong trend in urban Hinduism, especially within ISKCON and Krishna bhakti movements. Themes include religious revivalism, gendered holiness, media representations of dharma, and the interplay between global networks and local practices. Her scholarship often situates contemporary religious life within broader political, cultural, and transnational dynamics.

No scientific awards were mentioned in the provided text.

Claire Robison teaches courses on Hindu, Buddhist, and Islamic traditions, with specialized offerings on religion and gender, religious identity in modern India, and ethnographic methods. She advises students in religious studies and related fields, though specific advisees are not listed. Her research has been supported by conference presentations and academic engagements globally, including at Harvard, UC Santa Barbara, and international workshops.

She is actively involved in academic communities, regularly presenting at major conferences such as the American Academy of Religion and the Annual Conference on South Asia. Her research contributes to interdisciplinary dialogues on religion, urban life, and identity in contemporary India.