Her research engages American religions and Hinduism by focusing on religious encounters between North Americans and South Asians since the early-19th century. Lucia’s current book project is an ethnographic study of American spirituality as it is constructed in festival environments in the United States. Her first book, Reflections of Amma: Devotees in a Global Embrace (2014) investigated transnationalism and gender in a global guru movement. After earning a BA in Religion and India Studies at Indiana University, she completed her MA and PhD in the History of Religions at the The University of Chicago. Her current interests include guru authority and sexuality, the logics of bricolage spirituality, and the politics of cultural representation.