Jonathan Spencer

Jonathan Robert Spencer (born 23 December 1954) is a British social anthropologist and academic. He is currently the Regius Professor of South Asian Language, Culture, and Society at the University of Edinburgh. Born in Dorking, Surrey, England, Spencer graduated with an undergraduate Master of Arts (MA Hons) degree in social anthropology from the University of Edinburgh in 1977. He went on to earn a postgraduate Master of Arts (AM) degree from the University of Chicago in 1981 and a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) degree from the University of Oxford in 1986. Spencer has held various teaching positions throughout his career, including as a lecturer at the University of Sussex and the London School of Economics. Since 1990, he has been a professor at the University of Edinburgh, specializing in anthropology of South Asia.