William Elison received his Ph.D. from the History of Religions Program at the University of Chicago Divinity School in 2007. He studies religious life in contemporary South Asia from an ethnographic perspective. He is interested in folk and popular forms as practiced in urban slums and among Indian tribal (adivasi) communities, and in the mediation of religion in Indian public culture, especially through cinema. He has begun the work of revising his dissertation, "Immanent Domains: Gods, Laws, and Tribes in Mumbai," and is currently also engaged in another book-length project with two colleagues: a study of the landmark Hindi film Amar Akbar Anthony (Manmohan Desai, 1977). He honed his teaching chops as a member of the Religion Department at Carleton College in 2002 and from 2007-09. In his spare time, William enjoys sunsets, music, and long walks through the slums.
Sweet Hall
Second Floor, MC 3068
IHUM Fellow: William Elison, PhD