Department of Theology - Valparaiso University

Department of Theology > Faculty > George Pati

: All Faculty Listing James W. Albers Mark W. Bartusch Matthew Becker Richard E. DeMaris Lisa M. Driver Christoffer H. Grundmann George C. Heider Gregory Jones Carolyn Leeb Gilbert Meilaender James F. Moore Frederick A. Niedner George Pati Ronald Rittgers Walter M. Wangerin, Jr.David K. Weber

Faculty Profile

George Pati, Surjit S. Patheja Chair in World Religions and Ethics

Associate Professor of Theology and Associate Professor of International Studies

College of Arts and Sciences - Room 310
(219) 464-6110
George.Pati@valpo.edu

Education

Ph.D. - Boston University
M.T.S. - Southern Methodist University

Areas of Specialization

History of South Asian Religions; Hinduism; Kerala History; Malayalam Language and Literature; Sanskrit; Hindi; Religion and Aesthetics; Comparative Religion; World Christianity; Theories & Methods in the Study of Religion.

Courses Taught

Religions of South Asia; Hinduism; Devotional Traditions of Hinduism; Indian Religions and Cultures; Rituals and Performances; Religions of China and Japan; History of South Asian Civilzation

FALL 2013

Reading Devotional Poetry (THEO 367/567)
Indian Religions and Cultures ( THEO 361/561)
Religions of China and Japan (THEO 363/563)

Research Interests

Teaching and Research Interests
George Pati, Surjit S. Patheja Chair in World Religions and Ethics and Associate Professor of Theology received his Ph.D. in Religious Studies and South Asian Languages and Cultures from Boston University. His primary research and teaching interests lie in historical study of south Asian religions, with special emphasis on Kerala, South India. His current research focuses specifically on the mediation of religion in modern Kerala through texts, traditions, and theatrical performances. More generally, he has strong interest in theoretical issues in the History of Religions.

Publications

Temple and Human Bodies: Representing Hinduism , International Journal of Hindu Studies, 2011, Volume 15, Issue 2: 197-207
"Kalari and Kalarippayattu of Kerala, South India; Nexus of the Celestial, the Corporeal, and the Terrestrial", Contemporary South Asia, 2010, 18 (2): 175-189
"Mohiniyattam: An Embodiment of the Aesthetics and the Religious", THe Journal of Hindu Studies, 2010, 3: 91-113
"Body as Sacred Space in Kalaricikitsa of Kerala, South India", Religions of South Asia., 2009, Volume 3, Issue 2: pp. 235-50.
"Kerala,", Brill's Encyclopedia of Hinduism: Regions, Pilgrimage, and Deities., 2009, Volume 1. Leiden: E.J. Brill, pp. 221-232.

Professional Affiliations

American Academy of Religion
Association for Asian Studies
Society for Hindu-Christian Studies
Kerala Council for Historical Research