Episode 136: Aditya Bhattacharjee, Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow from Asian Studies, Cornell University

In this episode, host Namfon Narumol Choochan interviews Dr. Aditya Bhattacharjee, Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Asian Studies at Cornell University. Together, they discuss how growing up in Bangkok led him to study the localization and globalization of Hinduism. Focusing on the transnational appearances of Ganesha in Thailand and Thai restaurants in the United States, Dr. Bhattacharjee explains how and why this deity becomes a visible conduit for understanding the globalization of religious practices and religious belonging beyond the exclusively Thai-Buddhist framework. He shares his insights from fieldwork in Bangkok and New York, showing how cosmopolitanism enables such religious phenomena.  Lightning round: 3:00 Research and Lecture Summary:  18:48 Advice for researchers and recommendations: 1:01:54 Dr. Bhattacharjee 's top recommendations: Siam Mapped: A History of the Geo-Body of a Nation by Thongchai Winichakul Justin McDaniel' s books    The music on the podcast is from "14 Strings!", a Filipino style Rondalla group established in Cornell University. Check them out here.    Produced by Neen Yada Tangcharoenmonkong, Adam Farihin, and Cecilia Liu