James Ponniah is assistant professor in the Department of Christian Studies at the University of Madras. He previously was the dean of the Faculty of Philosophy and an associate professor in the Department of Indian Studies at Jnana Deepa Vidaypeeth University in India. Ponniah specializes in popular religious movements in India. Ponniah published The Dynamics of Folk Religion in Society in 2011 and has co-edited three other books; in addition, he has written numerous articles about popular religious movements in India. Ponniah was a part of the Christianity and Freedom Project headed by the Berkley Center's Religious Freedom Project. He holds an M.A. and Ph.D from the University of Madras.