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Jovi Geraci

Visiting Assistant Professor of Religious Studies

Jovi Geraci

Meet Professor Geraci

I’m interested in the ways that people build and define community through religion, and the ways that religious imagery and symbolism help us to articulate patterns, meaning, and purpose in our lives. I’m especially fascinated by the intersections of religion and food, religion and craft, and religion and clothing. My current research focuses on women, knitting, and the Holocaust.

In my off time I knit, bake, garden, and try to convince my rescue dog that she is in fact a dog, and not a goat.

Years at Knox: 2025 to present

Email Professor Geraci: jgeraci@knox.edu

Education

Ph.D., 2012, University of California, Santa Barbara

M.T.S., 2000, Harvard University

B.A., 1998, University of New Mexico

Teaching Interests

Religion in the United States, Jewish Studies, Religion in digital media, Native American Religions.



Selected Professional Accomplishments



Honors/Grants

Alan Cornell US Faculty Seminar Fellow, Yad Vashem, June 2024.

The Consortium for Faculty Diversity, Dissertation Fellowship, Denison University, 2004–2005.

Regents Special Fellows Scholar, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2000–2005.

Joyce Rogers Memorial Fellowship in Religious Studies, 1997–1998.

Publications

2024. “‘I Am Making Everything New’: Animal Crossing as Apocalyptic Progress During the Covid Pandemic.” In End-Game: Apocalyptic Video Games, Contemporary Society, and Digital Media Culture, edited by Lorenzo DiTommaso, James Crossley, Alastair Lockhard, and Rachel Wagner. Berlin: W. de Gruyter.

2019. “Until the End of the World: Fans as Messianic Heroes in World of Warcraft.” In The Sacred in Fantastic Fandom: Essays on the Intersection of Religion and Popular Culture, edited by Carole M. Cusack, John W. Morehead, and Venetia Laura Delano Robertson, pp. 138–54. Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Company, Inc.

2013. “Virtual Gender: How Men and Women Use Videogame Bodies.” (with Robert M. Geraci). Journal of Gaming and Virtual Worlds 5(3): 329–348.

Campus and Community Involvement

Advisor, Knox Jewish Club
Advisor, Knox Equestrian Club