Cora Gaebel

Dr. Cora Gaebel is an Associate Lecturer at the University of Cologne, associated with the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology. As a doctoral candidate since 2014, her research focuses on the commodification of religious values during Hindu festivals in India. She holds memberships in the American Anthropological Association, American Academy of Religion, European Association of Social Anthropologists, and German Anthropological Association (DGKSA).

Educational background includes:

• Doctoral candidate in Cultural Anthropology (2014-present), University of Cologne
• Master of Arts in Social and Cultural Anthropology (2011-2013)
• Magistra Artium in Comparative Religion (2004-2009) with minors in Linguistics and History

Her research explores the intersection of religion and economy through ethnographic studies of Hindu festivals, examining dimensions of production, distribution, consumption, and non-consumption. Regional expertise covers South Asia and Southeast Asia, with thematic focus on ritual economy, gender studies, and tribal societies.

Publications analyze diverse aspects of Hindu religious practices, from renouncers' lifestyles at Kumbh Mela to ritual feasting economics in Puri and female empowerment narratives in Hindu epics, consistently contributing to anthropological understanding of religious commodification.