Nina Namaste

Nina Namaste is a Professor of Spanish in the Department of World Languages and Cultures at Elon University. She earned her MA and Ph.D. from Indiana University, focusing on food imagery in contemporary Spanish, Argentine, and Chilean drama. Her professional expertise includes intercultural learning, student learning assessment, study away programs, and intersections of food, identity, and gender studies. She co-led multi-institutional SoTL research seminars and currently collaborates with colleagues at Tulane and CIEE on similar projects.

• St. Olaf College (BA in Spanish and Education)
• Indiana University (MA, Ph.D.)

Her research explores how food imagery in Latin American drama reflects cultural identity, while her teaching spans Spanish language, gender studies, food studies, and honors seminars. She has led Elon's study abroad programs in Costa Rica (2012) and London (2019), and serves as Faculty Director for Colonnades residential program.

She has presented at the Umbra Institute's biennial food conference in Perugia, Italy, alongside Pamela Runestad. Her pedagogical focus includes integrating global learning into collegiate experiences.

Nina Namaste resides on campus with her family as part of Elon's Living & Learning initiative. She enjoys cooking, traveling, hiking, and fostering meaningful conversations with students and colleagues.