Joe Reader is a Ph.D. student in the Anthropology Department at the University of Florida. Joe graduated from Rutgers University with a B.A. in Religious Studies (double minor in Philosophy and Psychology) and an M.A. in Religious Studies, specializing in Hindu Traditions and Sanskrit. Their M.A. thesis focused on issues of gender and caste as they related to social and religious equity within the tenth book of the Bhāgavata Purāṇa. Joe's current research interests include Critical Theory, gender, devotional practices, hermeneutics, and exploring the interplay between technology and religion, the arts, and sexuality. In their extracurricular life, Joe is a musician and an aspiring artist. They enjoy seeing live music, traveling, hiking, cooking, and not dying in the Florida heat.