Contact Information
Office Hours
Biography
In her final year of her M.A. at the University of Illinois, Maxine is focused on completing her thesis and giving back to the community she has called home for eight years.
Her thesis is on the House of Blues in Chicago, exploring the space's history and its utilization of material culture from South Asian Traditions and Outsider Art (Folk Art). As a reflection of Chicagoan identity and influenced by Isaac Tigrett's experiences as a disciple of Sri Sathya Sai Baba, HOB-C was, and is- a heterotopia- which engages patrons, artists, and employees into an utopic experience where all are loved, unity in diversity is paramount, and help ever, hurt never, are key. Since Tigrett left in 2000, and LiveNation acquired the franchise in 2006, the vision TIgrett (and others) intended has evolved and changed.
Research Interests
- Religions of India
- Cultural Adaptation and Cultural Heritage Studies
- Heterotopias, Utopias, and Third Spaces
- Theory of Religion and Ritual
Education
B.A. in Religion (Spanish Minor, Interfaith Certificate), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Grants
David L. Boren Fellowship, Hindi, South Asian Flagship Language Institute Summer 2023 - Fall 2023
Foreign Language Acquisition Scholarship, Beginner Hindi, Center for Global Studies, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Fall 2022 - Spring 2023
Full Tuition Fee Remission, Beginner Sanskrit, South Asian Summer Language Institute, Summer 2021
Awards and Honors
Ronald Filler Scholarship, The Program of Jewish Culture and Society, Fall 2020
Marjorie Hall Thulin Study Abroad Scholarship, Department of Religion, Summer 2019
Frances E Smith Scheidel Scholarship, School of Literatures, Cultures, and Linguistics, 2019-2020
Courses Taught
REL 120/ JS 120
- Teaching Assistant: Spring 2024, Fall 2024
REL/PHIL 110
- Teaching Assistant: Fall 2021, Spring 2022
Additional Campus Affiliations
Center for Global Studies