
Elaine Craddock
Professor of Religion
Expertise
Hinduism; Feminism and Religion; Tamil literature; Religion and the Body
Elaine Craddock received her MA and PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.
A U.S. Army veteran himself, Johnathon Melamed ’25 prioritized supporting his fellow student veterans, all while managing his own small business, supporting his family, and revitalizing his community.
more informationEnjoy highlights from the Commencement Convocation Ceremony celebrating the Southwestern University Class of 2025.
more informationWith computer-aided design and 3D printing skills increasingly in demand across a variety of industries, Southwestern University students will soon have another avenue to sharpen their technical knowledge.
more informationSamuel Hoffman ’27 and Ethan Wilcox ’26 were each awarded $40,000 scholarships from The Sumners Foundation for their studies at Southwestern University.
more informationSouthwestern’s new Certificate in Legal Studies is designed to prepare students to engage with questions of the law in today’s society by exploring the applications, contexts, and consequences of law.
more informationSouthwestern students will soon have the opportunity to study abroad at Universidad de la Libertad in Mexico City.
more informationSouthwestern and Texas A&M are teaming up to provide opportunities for SU students interested in pursuing graduate business programs at TAMU.
more informationPre-nursing graduates from Southwestern will now have the opportunity to earn their Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Baylor’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing in as little as 12 months.
more informationAfter nearly a decade of bonding over patty melts and honey bbq chicken strip sandwiches, the Southwestern University football team’s offensive line recently became the star of a national Whataburger marketing campaign.
more informationPillars in the Georgetown community, the Brightwells left a $1 million estate gift to Southwestern University.
more informationMilitary Friendly® has honored Southwestern with a Silver Award to recognize the University’s inclusivity efforts for the military community.
more informationA U.S. Army veteran himself, Johnathon Melamed ’25 prioritized supporting his fellow student veterans, all while managing his own small business, supporting his family, and revitalizing his community.
more informationEnjoy highlights from the Commencement Convocation Ceremony celebrating the Southwestern University Class of 2025.
more informationWith computer-aided design and 3D printing skills increasingly in demand across a variety of industries, Southwestern University students will soon have another avenue to sharpen their technical knowledge.
more informationSamuel Hoffman ’27 and Ethan Wilcox ’26 were each awarded $40,000 scholarships from The Sumners Foundation for their studies at Southwestern University.
more informationSouthwestern’s new Certificate in Legal Studies is designed to prepare students to engage with questions of the law in today’s society by exploring the applications, contexts, and consequences of law.
more informationSouthwestern students will soon have the opportunity to study abroad at Universidad de la Libertad in Mexico City.
more informationSouthwestern and Texas A&M are teaming up to provide opportunities for SU students interested in pursuing graduate business programs at TAMU.
more informationPre-nursing graduates from Southwestern will now have the opportunity to earn their Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Baylor’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing in as little as 12 months.
more informationAfter nearly a decade of bonding over patty melts and honey bbq chicken strip sandwiches, the Southwestern University football team’s offensive line recently became the star of a national Whataburger marketing campaign.
more informationPillars in the Georgetown community, the Brightwells left a $1 million estate gift to Southwestern University.
more informationMilitary Friendly® has honored Southwestern with a Silver Award to recognize the University’s inclusivity efforts for the military community.
more informationA U.S. Army veteran himself, Johnathon Melamed ’25 prioritized supporting his fellow student veterans, all while managing his own small business, supporting his family, and revitalizing his community.
more informationEnjoy highlights from the Commencement Convocation Ceremony celebrating the Southwestern University Class of 2025.
more informationWith computer-aided design and 3D printing skills increasingly in demand across a variety of industries, Southwestern University students will soon have another avenue to sharpen their technical knowledge.
more informationSamuel Hoffman ’27 and Ethan Wilcox ’26 were each awarded $40,000 scholarships from The Sumners Foundation for their studies at Southwestern University.
more informationSouthwestern’s new Certificate in Legal Studies is designed to prepare students to engage with questions of the law in today’s society by exploring the applications, contexts, and consequences of law.
more informationSouthwestern students will soon have the opportunity to study abroad at Universidad de la Libertad in Mexico City.
more informationSouthwestern and Texas A&M are teaming up to provide opportunities for SU students interested in pursuing graduate business programs at TAMU.
more informationPre-nursing graduates from Southwestern will now have the opportunity to earn their Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Baylor’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing in as little as 12 months.
more informationAfter nearly a decade of bonding over patty melts and honey bbq chicken strip sandwiches, the Southwestern University football team’s offensive line recently became the star of a national Whataburger marketing campaign.
more informationPillars in the Georgetown community, the Brightwells left a $1 million estate gift to Southwestern University.
more informationMilitary Friendly® has honored Southwestern with a Silver Award to recognize the University’s inclusivity efforts for the military community.
more informationA U.S. Army veteran himself, Johnathon Melamed ’25 prioritized supporting his fellow student veterans, all while managing his own small business, supporting his family, and revitalizing his community.
more informationEnjoy highlights from the Commencement Convocation Ceremony celebrating the Southwestern University Class of 2025.
more informationWith computer-aided design and 3D printing skills increasingly in demand across a variety of industries, Southwestern University students will soon have another avenue to sharpen their technical knowledge.
more informationSamuel Hoffman ’27 and Ethan Wilcox ’26 were each awarded $40,000 scholarships from The Sumners Foundation for their studies at Southwestern University.
more informationSouthwestern’s new Certificate in Legal Studies is designed to prepare students to engage with questions of the law in today’s society by exploring the applications, contexts, and consequences of law.
more informationSouthwestern students will soon have the opportunity to study abroad at Universidad de la Libertad in Mexico City.
more informationSouthwestern and Texas A&M are teaming up to provide opportunities for SU students interested in pursuing graduate business programs at TAMU.
more informationPre-nursing graduates from Southwestern will now have the opportunity to earn their Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Baylor’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing in as little as 12 months.
more informationAfter nearly a decade of bonding over patty melts and honey bbq chicken strip sandwiches, the Southwestern University football team’s offensive line recently became the star of a national Whataburger marketing campaign.
more informationPillars in the Georgetown community, the Brightwells left a $1 million estate gift to Southwestern University.
more informationMilitary Friendly® has honored Southwestern with a Silver Award to recognize the University’s inclusivity efforts for the military community.
more informationA U.S. Army veteran himself, Johnathon Melamed ’25 prioritized supporting his fellow student veterans, all while managing his own small business, supporting his family, and revitalizing his community.
more informationEnjoy highlights from the Commencement Convocation Ceremony celebrating the Southwestern University Class of 2025.
more informationSamuel Hoffman ’27 and Ethan Wilcox ’26 were each awarded $40,000 scholarships from The Sumners Foundation for their studies at Southwestern University.
more informationAfter nearly a decade of bonding over patty melts and honey bbq chicken strip sandwiches, the Southwestern University football team’s offensive line recently became the star of a national Whataburger marketing campaign.
more informationPillars in the Georgetown community, the Brightwells left a $1 million estate gift to Southwestern University.
more informationThe field at the new multi-purpose sports complex will be named in honor of Kevin and Elizabeth Dice for their generous donation to the facility.
more informationErika (Sehne) Munch, M.D. ’04 has helped hundreds of patients experience the joys of parenthood through her role as a reproductive endocrinologist at Texas Fertility Center.
more informationSouthwestern’s unique approach to a liberal arts education, paired with passionate faculty and small class sizes, has put countless students on a path to success in law.
more informationA new era for Pirates men’s basketball is underway as Matt Streich takes the helm, bringing over a decade of coaching experience at the NCAA Division III level to Southwestern.
more informationGarey Chair and Professor of Mathematics Alison Marr uses her own experiences as a female mathematician to inspire the next generation of learners while also playing a pivotal role in enhancing the Southwestern community.
more informationAfter celebrating 20 years with the American Heart Association and moving into a new national role, political science major Eric Batch ’97 looks back at his time at Southwestern and how it inspired him to change the world.
more informationExpertise
Hinduism; Feminism and Religion; Tamil literature; Religion and the Body
Elaine Craddock received her MA and PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.
Hinduism in South India, particularly Tamil Śaivism and Tamil Hindu goddess worship. Religious and social practices of thirunangai/transgender communities in Tamil Nadu.
Selected publications:
“Goddess Worship and Bhakti.” In Oxford Bibliographies in Hinduism. Ed. Tracy Coleman. New York: Oxford University Press, forthcoming.
“Kālī Dances Into the Cremation Grounds of the Tamil Land.” In Regional Communities of Devotion in South Asia: Insiders, Outsiders, and Interlopers, edited by Gil Ben-Herut, Jon Keune, and Anne Monius. New York: Routledge, 2020.
“Recalibrating (Field)work.” QED: A Journal of GLBTQ Worldmaking, Vol. 5, No. 3, Fall 2018: 100-116. Included in the Queer Forum on Navigating Normativity Between Field and Academe in India, edited by Jeff Roy.
“Māriyammaṉ.” Encyclopedia of Indian Religions. Hinduism and Tribal Religions, edited by Pankaj Jain, Rita Sherma, and Madhu Khanna. Dordrecht: Springer, June 30, 2018.
“The Half Male, Half Female Servants of the Goddess Aṅkāḷaparamēcuvari.” Nidan: International Journal for the Study of Hinduism, Vol. 24, December 2012: 117-135.
Siva’s Demon Devotee: Karaikkal Ammaiyar; SUNY Press, 2010.
“Karaikkal Ammaiyar: Bridging the Cankam and Saiva Worlds.” In Affinities and Oppositions: Relationship between Tamil and Sanskrit, edited by Kannan M and Jennifer Clare. French Institute, Pondicherry and the Tamil Chair at the University of California, Berkeley, 2009.
“The Anatomy of Devotion: The Life and Poetry of Karaikkal Ammaiyar.” In Beyond the Circle: Women’s Rituals, Women’s Lives in Hindu Traditions, edited by Tracy Pintchman. Oxford University Press, 2007.
“Reconstructing the Split Goddess as Shakti in a Tamil Village.” In Seeking Mahadevi:Constructing the Identities of the Hindu Great Goddess, edited by Tracy Pintchman. New York: SUNY, 2001.
Elaine Craddock received her MA and PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.
Hinduism in South India, particularly Tamil Śaivism and Tamil Hindu goddess worship. Religious and social practices of thirunangai/transgender communities in Tamil Nadu.
Selected publications:
“Goddess Worship and Bhakti.” In Oxford Bibliographies in Hinduism. Ed. Tracy Coleman. New York: Oxford University Press, forthcoming.
“Kālī Dances Into the Cremation Grounds of the Tamil Land.” In Regional Communities of Devotion in South Asia: Insiders, Outsiders, and Interlopers, edited by Gil Ben-Herut, Jon Keune, and Anne Monius. New York: Routledge, 2020.
“Recalibrating (Field)work.” QED: A Journal of GLBTQ Worldmaking, Vol. 5, No. 3, Fall 2018: 100-116. Included in the Queer Forum on Navigating Normativity Between Field and Academe in India, edited by Jeff Roy.
“Māriyammaṉ.” Encyclopedia of Indian Religions. Hinduism and Tribal Religions, edited by Pankaj Jain, Rita Sherma, and Madhu Khanna. Dordrecht: Springer, June 30, 2018.
“The Half Male, Half Female Servants of the Goddess Aṅkāḷaparamēcuvari.” Nidan: International Journal for the Study of Hinduism, Vol. 24, December 2012: 117-135.
Siva’s Demon Devotee: Karaikkal Ammaiyar; SUNY Press, 2010.
“Karaikkal Ammaiyar: Bridging the Cankam and Saiva Worlds.” In Affinities and Oppositions: Relationship between Tamil and Sanskrit, edited by Kannan M and Jennifer Clare. French Institute, Pondicherry and the Tamil Chair at the University of California, Berkeley, 2009.
“The Anatomy of Devotion: The Life and Poetry of Karaikkal Ammaiyar.” In Beyond the Circle: Women’s Rituals, Women’s Lives in Hindu Traditions, edited by Tracy Pintchman. Oxford University Press, 2007.
“Reconstructing the Split Goddess as Shakti in a Tamil Village.” In Seeking Mahadevi:Constructing the Identities of the Hindu Great Goddess, edited by Tracy Pintchman. New York: SUNY, 2001.