Amanda J. Lucia (PhD, University of Chicago, 2010) is an Associate Professor in the Religious Studies Department at the University of California, Riverside. Her research engages American religions by focusing on religio-cultural encounters between the United States and South Asia since the early-19th century. Her first book, Reflections of Amma: Devotees in a Global Embrace (University of California Press, 2014) is based in ten years of field research among Amma (known as the “hugging” saint) and her American devotees. Lucia’s current book project, American Yogis: Play, Representation, and Authenticity is a study of postural yoga through yoga festivals in the United States. Her articles are published widely and she is active at UCR as a Co-director of the Institute for the Study of Immigration and Religion.
