CONTRIBUTOR:

James Lochtefeld

AFFILIATION:

TITLE:

Professor

DEPARTMENT:

Religion Dept.

INSTITUTION:

Carthage College

BIOGRAPHY:

James G. (“Jim”) Lochtefeld is Professor and Chair of Religion at Carthage College, and a founding member of the College’s Asian Studies program. The unifying thread running throughout his research is the interrelationship between texts, tradition, and modern religious life, particularly as seen in Hindu pilgrimage sites but also in other Indian religious communities (Sikhs, Buddhists, and Muslims). He is the author of God’s Gateway: Identity and Meaning in a Hindu Pilgrimage Place (OUP, 2010), in which he examines Sanskrit texts, archival documents, and its current identity as a vibrant, modern city to construct a comprehensive picture of the north Indian pilgrimage city of Hardwar. Other published articles have examined the Hindu pilgrimage tradition, the history and development of the Kumbha Mela, and the rise of Hindu nationalism. His current research examines the effects of tourism promotion on Himalayan pilgrimage sites, and the connection between Sikh pilgrimage sites and Sikh identity.