Fred. W. Clothey is a leader in the creation of the field of ritual studies, a pioneer of ethnographic fieldwork and documentation of religious practice in India, and cofounder and longtime coeditor of the Journal of Ritual Studies (1986-1998). His research interests include the study of myth, symbol and ritual, the role of religion in politics, identity-formation and resurgent nationalisms, and the character of religion in contemporary South Asia and among expatriated South Asia.
Overseas Experience
Fred Clothey has spent some sixteen years in India and has lived and worked in Malaysia and Singapore (1991) and the Czech Republic (1999).
Representative Publications
Ritualizing on the Boundaries: Continuity and Innovation in the Tamil Diaspora, University of South Carolina Press, 2007
Religion in India: A Historical Introduction, Series in Comparative Religion, Routledge, 2007
Quiescence and Passion: The Vision of Arunakiri, Tamil Mystic, Austin & Winfield, 1996
Experiencing Siva: Encounters with a Hindu Deity, Manohar, 1984 [coeditor with Bruce J. Long]
Rhythm and Intent: Ritual Studies from South India, Blackie & Son, 1983
Images of Man: Religion and Historical Progress in South Asia, New Era, 1982 [editor]
The Many Faces of Murukan: The History and Meaning of a South Indian, Mouton, 1978, Coronet Books, 2005
Documentaries
Journey of Faith: Serbian Orthodox Americans in Pittsburgh, 1992
Pilgrimage to Pittsburgh, 1990
Consecration of a Temple, 1979, 1990
Pankuni Uttiram: A Festival of Marriage, 1974*
Skanda-Sasti: A Festival of Conquest, 1973*
Yakam: A Fire Ritual in South Asia, 1973*
* Reissued as The Festival Experience of South India, 1992