Scholars@Duke
Neena Mahadev

Neena Mahadev

Assistant Professor of Religious Studies
Religious Studies

Research Interests

  • Religion and politics; Political theologies
  • Anthropology of religion
  • Religion and political economy
  • Inter-Asian studies
  • Millennarian movements
  • Religion and media / religion & public life
  • Anthropology of religion & environment / eco-spiritual praxis
  • Secularism studies; law and religion
  • Political violence, conflict, pluralism, and peace
  • Anthropology of Christianities
  • Anthropology of Buddhism(s), Buddhist Studies (Theravada / Pali Buddhism)
  • Anthropology of Hinduism
  • South, Southeast & East Asia
  • Sri Lanka
  • the "Cold" War in Asia
  • history of the 1955 Bandung conference 

Fellowships, Gifts, and Supported Research

Religion, Economy, and Environment in Inter-Asian Perspective · 2024 - 2025 Awarded by: Yale-NUS College This seed grant supported research and travel to several research sites including Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Philippines. The focus was Buddhist and Christian social justice activists. The grant also supported conference travel to several conferences in the U.S., and Asia, to present this new material.
Religion and Pandemic Mediations · 2020 - 2022 Awarded by: Yap Kim Hao Memorial Fund, Singapore Served as PI on a collaborative project with several Asia Research Institute (ARI) at National University of Singapore. Produced conference and publication outputs on the topic of religion, distancing, media, and mediation during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dissertation Research Fellowship · 2009 - 2011 Awarded by: The Wenner Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research
Graduate Research Fellowship Program · 2004 - 2007 Fellow · Awarded by: National Science Foundation (NSF) Awarded a Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation in 2004, this fellowship funded 3 years of doctoral level study at Johns Hopkins University's Department of Anthropology
An Ethnography of Ethnic and Labor Politics among Upcountry Tamils in Wartime Sri Lanka · 2000 - 2001 Awarded by: J. William Fulbright Foundation post-BA research

External Relationships

  • Society for the Anthropology of Religion (AAA)
  • Villanova University Institute for Political Theology

This faculty member (or a member of their immediate family) has reported outside activities with the companies, institutions, or organizations listed above. This information is available to institutional leadership and, when appropriate, management plans are in place to address potential conflicts of interest.