Nell Shapiro Hawley

Nell Shapiro Hawley is a scholar of religion, primarily Hinduism. She is currently writing a biography of the popular American guru Ram Dass (born Richard Alpert, 1931-2019).
Dr. Hawley has been teaching at Vassar since 2023. From 2019–2023 she was the Preceptor (Lecturer) in Sanskrit at Harvard University. She received her PhD from the University of Chicago in 2022.
Research and Academic Interests
Dr. Hawley is currently writing a biography of the popular American guru Ram Dass (born Richard Alpert, 1931-2019). Her previous research projects have focused on the long and global life of the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata. She has published articles in the Journal of South Asian Intellectual History (2021) and the International Journal of Hindu Studies (2025). Dr. Hawley is, with Sohini Sarah Pillai, the editor of the landmark volume Many Mahabharatas (SUNY Press, 2021; Primus Books, 2023).
Teaching
At Vassar, Dr. Hawley teaches classes on South Asian religions. Her courses include “Superstories: Ramayana and Mahabharata,” “Devotion and Detachment: Lessons from the Bhagavad Gita,” “Hinduism, Literature, and Gender,” “American Gurus,” and “Yoga: A Twisted History.”
At Harvard (2019-23) Dr. Hawley taught Sanskrit classes at all levels. Her courses explored devotional poetry, asceticism, manuscript paintings, and literary theory and criticism. In 2020-21, she facilitated a discussion group for undergraduates reading the Mahabharata in English translation.
At the University of Chicago (2013-22) she worked as a Teaching Consultant and Fellow at the Chicago Center for Teaching, in which capacity she led workshops on teaching literature and on teaching ancient and classical languages.