Aarti Patel, PhD

(She, Her, Hers)
Aarti Patel headshot
Assistant Professor, Religious Studies and South Asian History, History
Assistant Professor, Religious Studies and South Asian History, Race and Ethnic Studies
Sutherland, 214
Penn State Abington
1600 Woodland Road
Abington, PA 19001

Originally from Toronto, Aarti earned her B.A. in Political Science from the University of Western Ontario, an M.A. in South Asian Studies from Columbia University in 2015, an M.Phil in Religion at Syracuse University, and Ph.D in Religion at Syracuse University. Aarti's research interests include modes of Hindu worship in the North American diaspora through the lenses of space and place, immigration, and politics. Aarti has studied Sanskrit, Hindi, and Gujarati. 

South Asian Studies, Immigration/Migration Studies, Diasporic Studies, North American Hinduism, Hinduism.

Book Chapters

Hinduism in 5 Minutes (Steven Ramey, editor) July 2022 

  • Chapter:  Do Hindus Think They Pray to Idols Rather Than a God Figure? 

  • Chapter:  Is the Temple a Central Location for Worship, and What is in the Central Place of Worship? 

  • Chapter:  Is the Design or Architecture of Temples Important? 

Peer-Reviewed Journal Publications

“Crossing the Threshold.” International Journal of Religion December 2022 

“Secular Conflict: Challenges Confronting the Aesthetics and Construction of a Hindu Sacred Space in Chino Hills, California.” Nidan: International Journal for the Study of Hinduism, Winter 2018 

PhD in Religion, Syracuse University
M.Phil in Religion, Syracuse University
M.A. in South Asian Studies, Columbia University
B.A. in Political Science, University of Western Ontario

RSTL1: World Religions
ASIA102: Asian Pop Culture
ASIA/RLST 103: Introduction to Hinduism
ASIA/RLST 3: Religions of the East
ASIA 197: Bollywood: Seeing South Asia Through Cinema