Anand Ranjan (AHRC-SGSAH Fellow)

Thesis title: 'Onlife' Hinduism: Pilgrimage and Everyday Religious Experiences in Gaya, India

Biography

Background

Anand Ranjan is an AHRC Doctoral Fellow at the University of Edinburgh through the Scottish Graduate School for Arts & Humanities (SGSAH).

Qualifications

 

Winter School on “Performing Religions: Theory and Practice” (February 2020)

Jointly organized by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, University of Groningen and Frobenius Institute, Goethe University of Frankfurt

 

Summer University course on “Disruptive Narratives: Re-Constructing the Truth in the Age of Multimodal Propaganda” (2021)

Central European University, Budapest, Hungry 

 

Course on “Why Religion Matters: Religious Literacy, Culture and Diversity” (2021)

The Open University, UK

 

B.A. (Hons.) in Spanish Language, Literature and Cultural Studies (2015)

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, India

 

M.A. in Spanish Language, Literature and Cultural Studies (2017)

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, India

 

M.A. in Sociology (2019)

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, India

 

M.Phil. in Social Systems (2022)

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, India

Responsibilities & affiliations

  • Scottish Graduate School for Arts and Humanities-Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Fellow (2023-Present)
  • SGSAH Doctoral Researcher Committee (DRC) Representative, The University of Edinburgh
  • Prof D W D Shaw Scholarship (2022-2023), School of Divinity, The University of Edinburgh, UK
  • BASAS Graduate and Early Career (GEC) Researcher of the Month (May 2023)
  • PhD Affiliate, Centre for Data, Culture, and Society, The University of Edinburgh
  • Doctoral Researcher Committee, Scottish Graduate School of Arts and Humanities (SGSAH)
  • Member of the British Association for South Asian Studies (BASAS)
  • Member of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (SSSR)
  • Resident Assistant at Gilmore Place, University Student Accommodation, University of Edinburgh (2022-23)

Postgraduate teaching

Tutoring for the Post-Graduate Course 'History of Science and Religion (online) (2024-2025)[SEM1]'

Areas of interest for supervision

 

 

Research summary

Anand’s PhD examines the link between religion, digital technology, and ethnonationalism in India. Drawing on the idea of the ‘Onlife’ (Floridi, 2014) experience, it explores whether the intersection of online and offline spaces (onlife) can promote inclusion and recognition of the previously silenced and marginalised voices (Dalit [untouchable caste as classified by the Government of India], Female) within Hinduism. In the digital space, online and offline religious spheres constantly integrate and create a new combined experience called ‘onlife’. The pilgrimage practices at Gaya (Bihar, India) provide an empirical understanding of an emergent form of Onlife Hinduism. Employing the idea of ‘onlife’, the PhD project focuses on studying the intersection of Hinduism and digital technologies, particularly mobile applications, and their impact on emerging Hindu religiosity in India. Through the lens of the Gaya pilgrimage, this study explores how the notion of Hinduism, especially religious beliefs and practices, has evolved in a digitally mediated context. It explores various emerging questions within the field of digital religion, focusing on critical themes such as identity, authority, and the concept of onlife experiences. It delves into how religious practices and beliefs are transformed in the digital age, examining the implications of online interactions and the evolving nature of our engagement with our faith in a technologically mediated world. Through this lens, it analyses how individuals articulate their religious identities and negotiate authority and community dynamics in the digital platforms.

Current research interests

Hinduism, Digital Technology,Religion, Hindu-Nationalism, Digital media Information and Communication Technology, Spirituality, Environment Artificial Intelligence and Religion

Affiliated research centres

Current project grants

AHRC Doctoral Training Partnership with the Scottish Graduate School of Arts and Humanities (SGSAH) (Oct 2023-Present)
Prof. DWD Shaw Scholarship (Sept 2022- Sept 2023)

Conference details

Academic Poster Presentation on ‘Onlife Religious Experiences: Emerging Hindu Religiosity in Gaya, India’ at Digital Research Conference, The University of Edinburgh, 2025.

18th EASA Biennial Conference 2024, Barcelona, Spain

Paper Title: Digital Footprints on Sacred Ground: The Intersection of Pilgrimage and Technology

19th International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences (IUAES)-World Anthropological Union (WAU) World Anthropology Congress 2023

Paper Title: Navigating 'Onlife': Ethnographic Challenges in the Online-Offline Spectrum

British Association for the Study of Religions (BASR) Annual Conference 2023, University of Cambridge, UK

Paper Title: 'Rethinking Hindu Ritual in the face of Climate Change'

British Association for South Asian Studies Annual Conference 2023, University of Leeds, UK

Paper Title: “Onlife” Ethnography- Navigating through the dilemma of online and offline modes of ethnography "

European Association of Social Anthropologists Biennial Conference, July 2022, Queen's University, Belfast, UK.

Paper title: - Emergence of Digital Hinduism: Post-COVID-19 India

Invited speaker

Invited as a speaker in a workshop ‘Reimagined Communities: Redefining ‘place’ in a world of Climate Change’ at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, organised by Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh.

18th EASA Biennial Conference 2024, Barcelona, Spain

Paper Title: Digital Footprints on Sacred Ground: The Intersection of Pilgrimage and Technology

19th International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences (IUAES)-World Anthropological Union (WAU) World Anthropology Congress 2023

Paper Title: Navigating 'Onlife': Ethnographic Challenges in the Online-Offline Spectrum

British Association for the Study of Religions (BASR) Annual Conference 2023, University of Cambridge, UK

Paper Title: 'Rethinking Hindu Ritual in the face of Climate Change'

British Association for South Asian Studies Annual Conference 2023, University of Leeds, UK

Paper Title: "'Onlife' Ethnography- Navigating through the dilemma of online and offline modes of ethnography "

European Association of Social Anthropologists Biennial Conference, July 2022, Queen's University, Belfast, UK.

Paper Title: Emergence of Digital Hinduism: Post-COVID-19 India

Organiser

Convened a Panel titled “Digital Anthropology: Perspectives about Technology Gender and Mental Health in Connect Age” in the 19th IUAES-WAU World Anthropology Congress 2023 on Marginalities, Uncertainties, and World Anthropologies: Enlivening Past and Envisioning Future, University of Delhi, Delhi, India (14-20 October 2023). 

Volunteer at 18th EASA Biennial Conference 2024, Barcelona, Spain

Ranjan, A. (2023). Pandemic and Domestic Violence: Prevalence of the Virus of Patriarchy. In Ravinder Singh (ed.) Social Impact of COVID-19 in India: From Sociological, Economic, Policy and Legal Perspective.

Mondal, S. & Ranjan, A. (2023). The dynamics of marriage payments among Christian communities in Southern India. In Dennis Hiebert (ed.) Routledge International Handbook of Sociology and Christianity. 

Ranjan, A. (2022). Book Review: Understanding Religion Through Artificial Intelligence: Bonding and Belief, 2021, by Justine E. Lane. Reading Religion, open book review website published by the American Academy of Religion (AAR). https://readingreligion.org/9781350103559/

Mondal, S. & Ranjan, A. (2021). Covid-19 and Multi-Layered Vulnerabilities of Migrant Labourers. In Abdul Matin, P.C. Joshi & B.I. Laskar (eds.), Covid Crisis: Social Science Perspectives (pp.164-174). New Delhi: ABS Books.

Ranjan, A. (2021). Book Review: Rethinking Revolution: Soyabean, Choupals, and the Changing Countryside in Central India, 2016, by Richa Kumar. Explorations, E-journal of the Indian Sociological Society. Vol. 5, Issue 1. pp: 223-228.http://app.insoso.org/insosojournal/Issues/Vol5(1)Apr21

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