Indian American scholar Swayam Bagaria has been appointed as Assistant Professor of Hindu Studies at Harvard Divinity School, succeeding Christopher Rossi, who retired.
Bagaria, formerly a Postdoctoral Fellow in Hindu Studies at HDS since 2022, previously held a similar position at the University of Virginia. He earned his PhD in anthropology from Johns Hopkins University in 2020.
HDS Dean Marla F. Frederick expressed excitement about Bagaria’s appointment, praising his scholarly and teaching abilities. Bagaria’s expertise lies in the psychosocial aspects of Hinduism, employing computational, cognitive, and socio-cultural methods to study religion in contemporary India.
Bagaria’s interdisciplinary approach and research interests encompass diverse areas such as the internal diversity of Hinduism, spirituality and mental health in India, and the impact of religious identity on constitutional orders and foreign policy.
At HDS, Bagaria teaches courses on the history of psychotherapy and psychiatry in India, comparative constitutional law, ethics and economics of caste, and social science research methods.
Francis X. Clooney, S.J., Parkman Professor of Divinity, emphasized Bagaria’s valuable contributions to Hindu studies at HDS, highlighting his expertise in Hindu temples, civil law codes, and ethnographic methods. Bagaria’s appointment reflects HDS’s commitment to expanding Hindu studies and integrating Hindu perspectives into ministry studies.
