Pilgrimage & Projects
This page features ongoing and completed projects at the intersection of pilgrimage, place, and spiritual transformation. My research explores how embodied journeys—such as Japan’s Shikoku Pilgrimage—and localized expressions of lived religion in the American South reflect broader human experiences of seeking, meaning-making, and community. These projects include participant observation, mapping, translation, and public-facing storytelling.
📍 Shikoku Pilgrimage & Digital Mapping
I have walked the 88-temple Shikoku Pilgrimage in Japan and am currently researching its histories of exclusion, nationalism, and transformation. This project integrates textual study, personal observation, and digital mapping tools to illuminate both the romanticized narratives and the overlooked social realities of pilgrimage in Japan.
🔗 Upcoming book project planned for submission in 2026
🔗 Article in preparation for the Journal of Buddhist Ethics
🌍 South Carolina Faith Traditions
In parallel with my international fieldwork, I conduct ethnographic research on lived religion in the American South. My work includes documentation and analysis of Bahá’í, Meher Baba, Sikh, and Buddhist communities in South Carolina—focusing on storytelling, identity, community life, and the creative adaptation of global traditions in local spaces.
This work is supported in part by a 2025–2026 Mellon Foundation ASIANetwork AAPI Voices and Stories grant, which funds collaborative, community-based storytelling projects focused on Asian American and Pacific Islander experiences. Through this initiative and a South Carolina Humanities planning grant I am working with members of South Carolina’s Sikh, Bahá’í, and Meher Baba communities to help document and share their personal narratives, spiritual practices, and evolving identities within the Southern landscape.
🔗 “Faith and Fellowship in the Lowcountry: Bahá’í Community Life in South Carolina” – Proposed to Carolina Currents
🔗 “Sacred Space and Vernacular Devotion: Lived Religion at the Meher Spiritual Center” – Forthcoming article exploring how sacred space is experienced and sustained through storytelling, memory, and daily practices at the Meher Baba Center in Myrtle Beach.
🔗 Planned digital exhibit and narrative archive (forthcoming)
🌐 GIS & Ethnography Projects
Working with colleagues in digital humanities and geography, I am exploring ways to visualize religious experience using GIS tools. These collaborations include mapping pilgrimage routes, sacred spaces, and narrative pathways that express spiritual meaning through space.
🧡 Sikh Community in South Carolina
As part of my broader work on lived religious practices in the American South, I’ve been documenting the life, teachings, and community-building efforts of the Sikh community at Gurdwara Guru Nanaksar in Chapin, South Carolina. My research focuses on how the tradition is expressed and sustained through service, music, and storytelling—both within the gurdwara and in its outreach to the wider community.
This project includes ethnographic interviews, participant observation, and collaborative storytelling efforts intended to support public understanding and interfaith learning. I am especially grateful for the community’s generosity in welcoming both myself and my students to observe, learn, and participate.