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Leela Prasad joined Brown University’s Department of Religious Studies in 2024 after spending 25 years at Duke University. Her work focuses on the intersections of anthropology, ethics, human rights, social justice, and the narratives of diasporic life. Prasad is particularly known for her contributions to the study of storytelling, performance, colonialism and decoloniality, and the complexities of post-prison life. She authored "Poetics of Conduct: Oral Narrative and Moral Life in a South Indian Town" which won the American Academy of Religion’s prize for the "Best Book in the History of Religions." Her more recent monograph, "Audacious Raconteur: Storytelling and Sovereignty in Colonial India" was published by Cornell University Press in 2020. Prasad has co-edited works that highlight female-oriented poetics in southern India and has experience curating exhibitions on Indian American life. She is fluent in several Indian languages and has received multiple prestigious fellowships including the Fulbright-Nehru senior fellowships and the Guggenheim Fellowship. Prasad’s research interests include reimagining Gandhi’s legacy within contemporary sociocultural settings, exploring women's narratives, and emphasizing the everyday manifestations of ethics across cultural frameworks.
Brown University • Providence, RI
Teaches and conducts research in the Department of Religious Studies, focusing on interdisciplinary approaches to ethics and cultural narratives.
Duke University • Durham, NC
Engaged in teaching and research in religious studies, with an emphasis on Indian culture, narrative forms, and ethics.
Department: Department of Economics