Faculty
Travis L. Smith
Assistant Professor
Ph.D. Columbia University
Saivism, Sanskrit Literature, Epic and Purana
Office: 008 Anderson Hall
Phone: (352) 392-1625
Email: tlsmith@ufl.edu
Travis Smith studied Religion at Williams College (MA) and Antioch University West (CA), and attended the Antioch University Buddhist Studies program in Bodh Gaya, India (1994). His graduate work focused on Sanskrit and South Asian Religions at the University of California, Berkeley, and at Columbia University where he received his Ph.D (2007). Before coming to the University of Florida, he held a Visiting Term Assistant Professor at Barnard College / Columbia University.
Smith's research focuses on the religious history of the ancient city of Varanasi, especially as related in the Sanskrit Purana literature. He has published articles in international journals such as Biblio and Acta Orientalia Vilna. His forthcoming book will be a literary and historical study of the Puranic “glorifications” (mahatmyas) of Varanasi.
Smith also co-leads, with Anita Anantharam (University of Florida, Center for Women's Studies and Gender Research), the UF in India Study Abroad Program, hosted by Navdanya Institute (Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India).
