For Associate Professor David Geary, anthropology began with a single course—and a moment of curiosity that would shape the course of his career. What started as a spontaneous decision to enroll in an anthropology class has since evolved into an academic journey spanning three continents, from the Lower Mainland to the University of Oxford, Buddhist monasteries in North India, and ultimately to UBC Okanagan. Today, his work brings together teaching, research, and community engagement to explore the intersections of religion, politics, and cultural heritage. Whether mentoring students, developing new programs, or conducting long-term fieldwork across South Asia, he is driven by a commitment to curiosity, collaboration, and helping students see the world through new perspectives.
Can you tell us a bit about your educational journey? How did you come to pursue the field you are in? What led you to come to UBCO?
I grew up in the Lower Mainland, primarily in White Rock and Surrey, and completed my BA at Simon Fraser University. I began university with only a vague sense of what I wanted to study. I still remember my parents encouraging me to pursue a degree in Communications, but while browsing the course calendar I came across a special topics course in Anthropology titled Witchcraft, Magic, and Myth. On a whim, I enrolled, and it completely changed the direction of my degree. The course revealed anthropology’s unique capacity to examine the “supernatural” not as superstition, but as a meaningful domain through which people make sense of uncertainty, morality, and relationships with other-than-human beings. From that moment on, I was hooked.
I share this memory because, in many ways, I’ve come full circle. With our new anthropology colleague, Dr. Justin Haruyama, we’ve been expanding our curriculum in the anthropology of religion. This coming academic year, I’ll be teaching a new second-year course, Witchcraft, Magic and Myth: Anthropology of the Supernatural, while Dr. Haruyama will offer a third-year course, Religion as Politics and Politics as Religion. It’s especially meaningful to introduce a course that inspired my own academic journey, and I hope it sparks the same curiosity and excitement for our students that it did for me.
My path to UBC Okanagan was anything but straightforward. After completing my PhD at UBC Vancouver, I was fortunate to undertake a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Oxford before teaching in an intensive Buddhist Studies program in Bodh Gaya, North India, affiliated with Antioch College in the United States. It was a remarkable experience. I lived in a Burmese monastery for four months while teaching students about contemporary Buddhist culture in one of the world’s most important pilgrimage centres. The combination of teaching, research, and daily life in such a dynamic religious setting profoundly shaped my scholarship and continues to influence my work today.
Then came one of those unexpected moments that can change the course of a career. Shortly after the program ended, my former PhD supervisor at UBC reached out to ask whether I was interested in interviewing for a position at UBC Okanagan. Somehow, I had completely missed the original communication. Needless to say, I jumped at the opportunity. Having spent many summers in the Okanagan, I already knew what a special place it was, and the chance to build my career there felt like the perfect fit. Looking back, I feel incredibly fortunate that everything came together the way it did.
Tell us about your current role(s) at UBCO. What do you enjoy most about your work, and what do you find most challenging?
I currently serve as Anthropology Program Coordinator and as the incoming Global Studies Theme Coordinator in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies Program. What I enjoy most about these roles is the opportunity to help shape both curriculum and student experience while working alongside outstanding colleagues across disciplines.
One of the most rewarding aspects of my career at UBC Okanagan has been mentoring graduate students from around the world, particularly those from South Asia whose research closely aligns with my own areas of expertise. Mentorship is never a one-way process. While I hope I’ve helped students navigate their academic journeys, I’ve learned just as much from them. I really value their perspectives and experience.
Stepping into the Global Studies leadership role is both exciting and humbling. Professor Jim Rochlin, among others, has built an exceptional program, and I know there are big shoes to fill. At a time when the world is experiencing profound geopolitical change, environmental uncertainty, and increasing social polarization, I think Global Studies has never been more important. Our program encourages students to grapple with these complex issues while remaining grounded in people’s lived experiences across different societies. Helping create spaces for those conversations is something I find incredibly meaningful.
Like most academic roles, balancing teaching, research, service, and administration can be challenging. Yet I also appreciate that variety. Every day is different.
Can you describe your teaching philosophy?
My teaching philosophy is fundamentally student-centred. I believe our responsibility extends beyond simply delivering course content. We are there to support students as they develop intellectually, professionally, and personally. As I have found in my own experience, university is often a transformative period in people’s lives, and I see teaching as an opportunity to help students become more curious and confident in their own abilities.
Teaching is the reason I went into academia. While research and service are deeply important parts of my career, the classroom remains the place where I feel most energized. Every new course feels like a fresh beginning. I love redesigning courses, experimenting with new teaching approaches, inviting guest speakers, incorporating current events, and finding creative ways to make anthropology relevant to students’ everyday lives.
I also believe that great teaching requires humility. Every class is an opportunity to become a better instructor, and every group of students teaches me something new. Some of the most memorable moments happen when students ask unexpected questions or challenge familiar assumptions. Those conversations remind me why anthropology is such an exciting discipline: it encourages us to see the world from new perspectives, to question what we take for granted, and to remain open to learning throughout our lives. I hope students leave my courses not only with new knowledge, but with a lasting curiosity about the people and cultures that make up our shared world.
What are your research interests and what do you hope to gain/solve/better understand from your research? What research projects have been most meaningful to you?
I’m currently working on a new book project tentatively titled Buddhism as Cultural Power: Heritage and the Civilizational State in North India. It builds on more than two decades of research and close collaboration with communities living around the major Buddhist pilgrimage sites of North India. Although Buddhists make up less than 1% of India’s population, Buddhist heritage has become increasingly central to statecraft, large-scale infrastructure projects, tourism development, and soft-power diplomacy across Asia. One of the central questions that fascinates me is why a government rooted in Hindu nationalism has invested so heavily in Buddhist heritage. It’s these contradictions and tensions between religion and politics, heritage and development, local communities and global ambitions, that I seek to better understand through my research.
At its heart, however, my research has always been about people and relationships. Some of the projects that mean the most to me are those that have grown out of long-standing friendships and collaborations with colleagues, monks, nuns, artists, and community members in India, Singapore, Myanmar, and beyond. Anthropology is built on trust, and I feel incredibly fortunate that so many people have welcomed me into their communities over the years. Those relationships continue to shape not only my research but also the way I think about scholarship as collaborative and reciprocal.
What is the main thing you hope your students will take away from your classes?
More than anything, I hope students leave my classes with curiosity—a willingness to question their assumptions and see the world from perspectives different from their own. Anthropology teaches us that many of the things we take for granted are culturally shaped, and I hope students develop a deeper appreciation of how ethnocentrism influences the way we understand others and ourselves.
I also hope they leave believing they can make a meaningful difference in the world. Whether they pursue careers in academia, government, healthcare, education, business, or the non-profit sector, I want them to recognize the value of empathy, critical thinking, and listening carefully to other people’s experiences. Finally, I want students to know that my support doesn’t end when the semester does. One of the greatest joys of this profession is hearing from former students years later and seeing the remarkable paths they’ve taken.
What are some of your most memorable teaching moments?
There are so many that it’s difficult to choose just one. Some of the most memorable moments have come from bringing guest speakers into the classroom and watching conversations unfold that simply couldn’t happen through a textbook alone. Over the years I’ve welcomed Buddhist monks and nuns, a Wiccan High Priestess, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Dalit artists, Indigenous knowledge holders, and many others whose lived experiences bring anthropology to life.
I guess I’ve always tried to centre people’s stories in my teaching. When students have the opportunity to engage directly with individuals whose lives challenge stereotypes or complicate familiar narratives, something special happens. Those conversations are often the moments students remember long after the course has ended.
What is your proudest professional accomplishment?
It’s difficult to point to a single accomplishment because, for me, the most rewarding part of academic life has always been teaching and mentoring students. Research grants, publications, and awards are certainly meaningful, but nothing compares to seeing students discover a passion for learning and gain confidence in themselves. If I have one accomplishment I’m most proud of, it’s having had the opportunity to play a small role in so many students’ journeys. Knowing that I may have helped shape someone’s career or encouraged them to see the world a little differently is incredibly rewarding.
Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?
That’s a great question. I’ve never been someone who plans too far into the future—three or four years is usually enough for me! Over the next several years, I hope to complete a number of major research projects and books that I’ve been developing for quite some time.
One aspiration I would especially love to realize is leading a Go Global seminar in South Asia. After spending more than twenty years working throughout the region, I’ve developed relationships with communities, universities, and heritage sites that would provide students with a truly unique learning experience. Sharing those connections with UBC Okanagan students and watching them experience the region firsthand would be incredibly rewarding.
Can you tell us something (hobbies, interests etc.) that your colleagues may not know about you?
Over the past year I’ve become quite involved as a volunteer in coaching youth soccer. I played throughout my childhood, and it’s been wonderful to rediscover that passion while coaching my two sons. There’s something incredibly rewarding about watching young players develop, not just their skills, but their confidence, teamwork, and love of the game.
I should probably also admit that this summer’s FIFA World Cup vied for my attention alongside my research schedule. It was difficult to resist sneaking in matches whenever possible! Watching Canada perform so well made it even more exciting, and it was a lot of fun sharing that experience with my family.