Parvis Ghassem-Fachandi

Parvis Ghassem-Fachandi is an Associate Professor of Sociocultural Anthropology in the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University. His research focuses on dynamics of encounter, transference, and reflexivity through long-term ethnographic fieldwork in India, Gibraltar, the U.S., and Germany. He holds a Ph.D. from Cornell University (2006) and has held fellowships at institutions including ZIF Bielefeld, IIAS Shimla, and NYU's Center for Religion and Media.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Anthropology, Cornell University, 2006
• M.A. in Anthropology, Cornell University, 2000
• Magister Artium (M.A.), Freie Universität Berlin, 1998
• B.A. Equivalent (Zwischenprüfung), Freie Universität Berlin, 1994

Research Interests:

• Social/Cultural Anthropology with focus on violence, ritual, and memory
• Nationalism and religious identification
• Psychoanalytic and social theory applications

Publications Highlight Key Themes:

• Analysis of Gujarat riots and Hindu nationalism
• Xenophobia and migrant integration in Europe
• Ritual practices and political symbolism

Awards & Grants:

• 2023 Board of Trustees Fellowship (Rutgers)
• DAAD Research Scholarship (2021)
• ZiF Interdisciplinary Research Fellowship (2020)
• SSRC Prayer Studies Initiative (2012-2014)

Teaching includes courses on cultural anthropology, South Asian politics, and religious labor studies. Current research examines religious labor dynamics in Juhapura, Ahmedabad, exploring intersections between Islamic practice and evolving socioeconomic systems.