Steven Hopkins

Steven Hopkins is the Mari S. Michener Professor of Religion and Asian Studies at Swarthmore College, where he serves as Department Chair of Religion and Program Coordinator for Asian Studies. He earned his B.A. in English Literature from UC Santa Barbara (1976), M.A. in Religious Studies from UCSB (1982), and Ph.D. in Comparative Religion from Harvard University (1995). His office is located in Pearson Hall 209.

Hopkins specializes in South Indian devotional literature, particularly the works of the 14th-century saint-poet Veṅkaṭanātha/Vedāntadeśika. His research examines divine presence through emotional landscapes, temple iconography, and cross-temporal religious experiences. Current investigations focus on women's laments across Greek, Sanskrit, and Tamil traditions, exploring ethical witnessing of injustice.

His publications demonstrate consistent focus on devotional poetry across cultures, with recent work expanding into comparative lament studies. This includes examinations of maternal grief in William Blake's prophecies and cross-cultural mourning rituals.

• Guggenheim Fellowship
• Fulbright Fellowship
• NEH Fellowship
• American Institute of Indian Studies Fellowship
• Lang Fellowship
• George E. Becker Faculty Fellowship
• A.K. Ramanujan Book Prize for Translation

Hopkins teaches comparative courses including Buddhist Traditions of Asia, Hindu Traditions of India, and seminars on Love and Religion exploring texts from Kālidāsa to Ibn 'Arabī. He has conducted extensive fieldwork across South and Southeast Asia.