Religion &

About Religion &

"Religion &" is a series of monthly conversations between leading academics and thinkers in multiple fields hosted by the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture to continue these critically important interventions. Every month via Zoom, emerging scholars alongside established thinkers will engage the pressing issues of the current moment, their impact on our fields of study, and the groundbreaking research, teaching and public engagement taking place across the country. This is our opportunity—as thinkers of religion and American culture—to assess and respond to this current moment and create a culture of sustained conversation on "Religion &" its impact on our changing world.

Publisher

The Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture

Category

education · religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

24 Sept 2024

Latest episode

29 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

18 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   29 Sept 2026

   Religion & the Paranormal

   Bigfoot. Yeti. Mapinguari. Sasquatch. Yeren. Ghosts. UFOs. Paranormal beliefs are found across national borders and historical periods, both separate from and in conversation with historical religious teachings. Examining the intersection of religion and the paranormal helps us understand more of both and ourselves as well as the communities formed around these shared theories and beliefs. The first episode of Religion &'s seventh season highlighted the nature and scope of paranormal beliefs, experiences, and subcultures around the globe, showcasing one example of where meaning is now being ascribed in the modern moment. Host: Andrew Whitehead Andrew Whitehead is Professor of Sociology and Executive Director of the Association of Religion Data Archives (theARDA.com) at the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture at Indiana University Indianapolis. He is also a research fellow for the Charles F. Kettering Foundation. Whitehead is one of the foremost scholars of Christian nationalism in the United States. He is the author of American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens the Church, which was awarded the 2024 Gold Medal Book Award for Religion from Foreword Reviews and the 2024 Midwest Book Award winner for Religion & Philosophy. Panelist: Jason Aukerman Jason Aukerman is Clinical Assistant Professor of American Studies at Indiana University Indianapolis and Director of the Ray Bradbury Center. He teaches courses in American culture and serves as a public humanities scholar, curator, and lecturer. He is also a frequent speaker on topics ranging from popular culture and literature to contemporary American life. Panelist: Christopher Bader Christopher Bader is Professor of Sociology at Chapman University and Associate Director of the Institute for Religion, Economics and Culture. He has co-directed the annual Chapman University Survey of American Fears for the last twelve years. He co-directs the Association of Religion Data Archives, an archive of religion data supported by the John Templeton Foundation, Lilly Endowment, and the Templeton Religion Trust. Christopher is the author of seven books, including America's Four Gods, Paranormal America, Paranormal Britain, and Fear Itself. He has published more than 50 articles in the areas of the sociology of religion, criminology, and deviant behavior. Panelist: Coye Lloyd Coye Lloyd is a third-year PhD student at Indiana University Indianapolis. In 2019, she graduated from Ohio University with a Master of Art in Film Studies. In the American Studies program at IU Indianapolis, she continues to explore the topics of her thesis in film, minority (re)presentation, high/low culture, and mass media. She believes popular culture persists to show how culture functions and reproduces ideology. With each presentation, class, and paper she hopes to elevate not only her beloved genre films, but also challenge notions of the canon, academia, and hegemonic oppression. Show Notes: Teaching and Learning Resources: https://raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/teaching_resources/religion-the-paranormal-teaching-resources/

2. 

   5 May 2026

   Religion & Revolution

   As the United States approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, questions about revolution—past and present—take on renewed significance. This special episode of Religion & explores the many ways revolutionary movements have been shaped by religion, and in turn how revolution reshape religion. From the spiritual rhetoric of the American Revolution to the role of vodou in Haiti to the anti-clericalism in France, religion has often served as a catalyst for radical change. Join us for a preview of the 9th Biennial Conference on Religion and American Culture, where "Religion & Revolution" will be central to exploring the intersections of faith and political upheaval. Host: Philip Goff Philip Goff, Chancellor's Professor of American Studies, has been the executive director of the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture since 2000. His research specialization is American religious history, with eight books and over 200 articles, reviews and scholarly papers in that area. His recent books include: Civil Religion in America: Religion and the American Nation in the Twenty-First Century (with Rhys Williams and Raymond Haberski), The Bible in American Life (with Arthur Farnsley II and Peter Thuesen), and Religion and the Marketplace in the United States (with Jan Stievermann and Detlef Junker). Dedicated to public teaching, he has been a scriptwriter, consultant, and interviewee for documentaries related to religion in American life for PBS, BBC, and HBO. He is Lead Co-Editor of Religion & American Culture: A Journal of Interpretation. Panelist: Katherine Carté Katherine Carté is Professor of History and Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Professor at Southern Methodist University. She specializes in religion in the eighteenth-century British Atlantic. She is the author of Religion and the American Revolution: An Imperial History (University of North Carolina Press, 2021) and editor of the forthcoming volume, Revolutionary Turns: Religion & America's Founding Era, which will appear from University of Virginia Press in Fall 2026. She is currently studying the role of religion and partisanship in Revolutionary Savannah, Georgia. Panelist: Daniella Kostroun Daniella Kostroun is Chair of the Department of History and Associate Professor in History at Indiana University Indianapolis. She specializes in the history of women and religion in Early Modern France and the Atlantic World. She is a former President of the Society for French Historical Studies and is a corresponding member of the Nantes Institutes for Advanced Studies in Nantes, France. She is the recipient of several grants and awards, and has served on the governing board of the Western Society for French History and on the Editorial Board of French Historical Studies. Panelist: Jesús G. Ruiz Jesús G. Ruiz is Assistant Professor of the Practice in Caribbean Studies at Vanderbilt University, where he directs the Caribbean Studies Minor and coordinates FLAS Fellowships and the Simon Collier Summer Awards. A historian of Latin America and the Caribbean, his research centers on slavery, freedom, and Black political thought in the Atlantic World. His book, The Black Royalists (Harvard University Press, forthcoming), reinterprets royalism in the Haitian Revolution as a transcultural politics of freedom. His scholarship appears in Slavery & Abolition, where his 2025 article on the Boca Nigua revolt won the Latin American Studies Association (LASA) Haiti/Dominican Republic Section Best Article Award. A first-generation college graduate, Ruiz has held fellowships from ACLS, NEH, and Fulbright, and teaches courses on Afro-Latin America, migration, and the Caribbean. Check out additional resources for learning, teaching and watching. Show Notes: https://raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/teaching_resources/religion-revolution-show-notes/ Teaching and Learning Resources: https://raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/teaching_resources/religion-revolution-resources-from-panelists/ Learn more about this episode on the Religion & Website: https://raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/programs/religion-and/revolution/

3. 

   24 Mar 2026

   Religion & Demographics

   How does quality data shape our interpretation of the religious landscape in the United States? Religion data is increasingly used beyond the work of researchers and academics in the media, classrooms, congregations, and beyond to describe patterns and make strategic decisions. Understanding religion as a demographic category—and how this demographic is changing—can be integral for our institutions' products, priorities, and the ways that they interact with religious communities. In this episode of Religion &, our panel of scholars will explore the importance of collecting and interpreting reputable religion data and offer data-driven insights and practical implications for understanding the evolving religious landscape. Join us for a conversation that considers the challenges and benefits of religion data collection and how this work can shape public discourse around religion. Host: Erica Dollhopf Erica Dollhopf is the Associate Director of Research for Lake Institute on Faith & Giving at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Indiana University Indianapolis. Dr. Dollhopf received a Ph.D. and M.A. in Sociology from the Pennsylvania State University and an M.A. in American Studies from Lehigh University. She has authored numerous publications on congregations, congregational vitality, and faith-based nonprofits and she was awarded the Religious Research Association's 2024 Outstanding Applied Research Award for her article on congregation vitality in the United Church of Christ. Dr. Dollhopf is the co-chair of the 2030 US Religion Census and the current president of the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies. Panelist: Besheer Mohamed Besheer Mohamed is a Senior Researcher at Pew Research Center with extensive experience studying Muslim American communities. More broadly, his research examines religious identities, beliefs and practices in the United States, with a particular focus on the intersection of religion and race. He has led public opinion studies on the experiences and attitudes of Muslim Americans, a religious profile of Asian Americans, the religious composition of Hispanic Americans, and faith among Black Americans, among others. He also publishes regularly in scholarly journals and has authored book chapters for Oxford University Press and NYU Press. His insights have been featured in prominent media outlets such as CNN, NPR, Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. Besheer holds a doctorate in sociology and a master's degree in Middle East studies from the University of Chicago. Panelist: Allison Norton Allison L. Norton is the Associate Professor of Migration Studies and Congregational Life at Hartford International University, where she is co-directs the Hartford Institute for Religion Research and directs the Pastoral Innovation Network of New England. She is most interested in applied research that makes a tangible difference for religious communities and congregations. She is currently co-authoring a book titled Migrant God, Migrant Faith (IVP Academic) and serving as Co-Investigator on the Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations study. Panelist: Gina Zurlo Gina A. Zurlo (Ph.D., Boston University) is a Senior Researcher and Lecturer in World Christianity at Harvard Divinity School (Cambridge, MA). Her research interests include World Christianity, sociology of religion, quantitative studies, and gender studies. She is editor of the World Christian Database (Brill) and World Religion Database (Brill), and her latest books are Women in World Christianity: Building and Sustaining a Global Movement (Wiley-Blackwell) and the Compact Atlas of Global Christianity (University of Edinburgh Press, with Kenneth R. Ross and Todd M. Johnson). Dr. Zurlo was named one of the BBC's 100 most inspiring and influential women of 2019 for her work quantifying religion and non-religion worldwide. Check out additional resources for learning, teaching and watching. Show Notes: https://raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/teaching_resources/religion-demographics-show-notes/ Teaching and Learning Resources: https://raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/teaching_resources/religion-demographics-teaching-resources/ Learn more about this episode on the Religion & Website: https://raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/programs/religion-and/demographics/

4. 

   24 Feb 2026

   Religion & the Promise of Career Readiness

   As universities face growing pressure to demonstrate the market value of a liberal arts education, Religious Studies and related departments are exploring new pathways to prepare graduates for the job market. This episode of Religion & examines emerging models for career-focused bachelor's and graduate tracks and partnerships designed to connect students with professional opportunities. While these initiatives aim to respond to increasing demands for career readiness, they also raise important questions as to how departments balance the promise of employability with the value of critical, humanistic inquiry. Join us for a conversation about the opportunities, challenges, and debates surrounding this shift—and what it means for the future of Religious Studies in higher education. Host: Rachel Wheeler Rachel Wheeler is Chair of the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies at Indiana University Indianapolis. She is a leading scholar on missions and Native American Christianity in early America. Her current project is developing an app for faculty that helps to make the invisible work of academic service and domestic labor visible on academic CVs in hopes of creating a more just climate for women faculty and faculty of color. She has published essays in The Washington Post, Women in Higher Education, Religion and Politics, and other venues, in addition to scholarly articles in leading journals. Panelist: Julie Byrne Julie Byrne holds the Monsignor Thomas J. Hartman Chair in Catholic Studies and serves as Professor in the Department of Religion at Hofstra University. She is the author of The Other Catholics: Remaking America's Largest Religion (Columbia, 2016) and O God of Players: The Story of the Immaculata Mighty Macs (Columbia, 2003). In addition to Catholic Studies, she writes and teaches about topics in comparative religions of the Americas, focusing on contemporary communities and connectivity to current events. Panelist: Amy DeRogatis Amy DeRogatis is Chair and Professor of Religion and American Culture in the Department of Religious Studies at Michigan State University. Dr. DeRogatis' research focuses on the multiple ways that religious groups, people, and communities in North America express religious ideas, commitments, beliefs, and knowledge through embodied practices. For ten years Dr. DeRogatis co-directed with Dr. Isaac Weiner the American Religious Sounds Project, a collaborative digital sonic initiative. She has recently begun a research project on Edith Cold, a twentieth-century American missionary who witnessed the atrocities in Hadjin, Turkey in spring 1920. Panelist: Russell McCutcheon Russell T. McCutcheon was, for 18 years, the Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Alabama, responsible for reviving a unit that was once scheduled for closure. He publishes and teaches broadly in the field, on its history, theories of religion, myth, and ritual, and has produced a number of resources for instructors as well as those leading Departments. He is also the current chair of the American Academy of Religion's Academic Relations Committee. Check out additional resources for learning, teaching and watching. Teaching and Learning Resources Show Notes & Major Questions Learn more about this episode on the Religion & Website.

5. 

   27 Jan 2026

   Religion & Podcasts As Public Engagement

   Podcasts have become a tool for scholars to share ideas beyond academic publishing and the classroom. In an era when the traditional methods (books, articles) of engaging the wider public in scholarship and research about religion are fading, podcasts offer an accessible space for broader audiences to engage with the field. This episode of Religion & explores the growth of podcasts designed and led by scholars of religion and considers how these platforms function as public scholarship in a moment of fractured attention and limited opportunities to share knowledge otherwise. What are their promises? Are there downsides and should we be concerned? Join us for a conversation that highlights creativity, accessibility, challenges, and the evolving role of scholars in shaping public discourse about religion. Host: Andrea Jain Andrea R. Jain, Ph.D. is Professor of Religious Studies at Indiana University Indianapolis and research affiliate at Indiana University's Environmental Resilience Institute, editor of the Journal of the American Academy of Religion, and author of Selling Yoga: From Counterculture to Pop Culture (Oxford 2014) and Peace Love Yoga: The Politics of Global Spirituality (Oxford, 2020). She received her doctorate degree in religious studies from Rice University in 2010. Her areas of research include religion and capitalism; global spirituality and modern yoga; gender, sexuality, and religion; and theories of religion. Panelist: Megan Goodwin Megan Goodwin is Senior Editor at Religion Dispatches and Nerd-in-Chief at Feral Nerd Consulting. With Ilyse Morgenstein Fuerst, she cohosted and coproduced the award-winning podcast "Keeping It 101: A Killjoy's Introduction to Religion." Their most recent book, Religion Is Not Done With You, is now available through Beacon Press. Panelist: Brad Onishi Brad Onishi is a social commentator, scholar, and co-host of the Straight White American Jesus podcast. He founded Axis Mundi Media in 2023 in order to provide a platform for research-based podcasts focused on safeguarding democracy from the threats of extremism and authoritarianism. Onishi is a frequent guest on national radio, podcast, and television outlets, including "Fresh Air" with Terry Gross and MSNBC. His podcast ranks in the top 50 of Politics shows on Apple's podcast charts. His book, Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism – And What Comes Next, is available now. Panelist: Chris Stevenson Chris Stevenson is the co-founder and president of the private, digital-first National Museum of American History. He is also the founder of America's Quilt of Faith, a civic nonprofit that champions the indispensability of religion to the American experiment in self-government. Chris has a Bachelor of Science in applied physics, Masters of Arts in teaching physics, and a Masters of Science in agricultural engineering. He is the host of the museum's podcast Religion in the American Experience. Mr. Stevenson is the author of Letters from an American Husband and Father. He lives with his wife and family in Purcellville, Virginia. Check out additional resources for learning, teaching and watching. Teaching and Learning Resources Show Notes & Major Questions Learn more about this episode on the Religion & Website.

6. 

   11 Dec 2025

   Religion & Teaching in Times of Tension

   Faith in the inevitability of betterment is the driving force of modern knowledge. What happens to our scholarship and teaching when trust in our institutions begins to falter? With increased scrutiny and pressure on our campuses and from the broader public, studying and teaching religion can start to feel unbearable. In this episode of Religion &, our panelists will examine the implications of this tension on teachers, thinkers, and scholars of religion. Join us for a conversation exploring how the state of today's campuses and classrooms impact the work of religion scholars and how we might help our students, readers, and the broader public respond to our current moment through our teaching and scholarship. Host: Robert Orsi Robert Orsi is Grace Craddock Nagle Chair of Catholic Studies at Northwestern University, where he is also Professor of Religious Studies, History, and American Studies. He studies modern and contemporary religion, with a special focus on Catholic practices and ideas, from both historical and ethnographic perspectives. He also researches and writes on theory and method in the study of religion. His most recent book is History and Presence. He is currently at work on a book called Give Us Boys about the formation of young men at a Jesuit high school in the Bronx in 1967-1971. A native New Yorker, Orsi is married to the theologian and Luther scholar Christine Helmer and has two sons (Clarence and Anthony) and two dogs (Rocco and Gemma). Panelist: Matthew J. Cressler Matthew J. Cressler is a writer, independent scholar, and chief of staff of the Corporation for Public Interest Technology. He's the author of Authentically Black and Truly Catholic: The Rise of Black Catholicism in the Great Migrations and creator of Bad Catholics, Good Trouble, an educational webcomic series. He's published numerous articles in public-facing magazines and academic journals. His co-reported Religion News Service series "Beyond the Most Segregated Hour" won a Wilbur Award from the Religion Communicators Council. He has two forthcoming books: the co-authored Body & Blood: Catholic Horror in America (NYU Press, 2026) and Catholics and the Making of MAGA (HarperCollins, 2027). Panelist: Atalia Omer Atalia Omer earned her PhD at Harvard University in 2008. She is a Professor at the University of Notre Dame. Until recently, she served as a senior fellow at Harvard University's Religion, Conflict, and Peace Initiative. Omer authored Decolonizing Religion and Peacebuilding (Oxford University Press, 2023), When Peace is Not Enough: How the Israeli Peace Camp Thinks about Religion, Nationalism, and Justice (University of Chicago Press, 2015), and Days of Awe: Reimagining Jewishness in Solidarity with Palestinians (University of Chicago Press, 2019). Omer is a co-editor of the Oxford Handbook of Religion, Conflict, and Peacebuilding (Oxford University Press, 2015) and Palestine/Israel Review, centering analysis of power. Panelist: Thelathia "Nikki" Young Thelathia "Nikki" Young is Vice President for Institutional Equity and Access, Professor of Religion, and Professor of Gender and Sexuality Studies at Haverford College. She received her Ph.D. from the Graduate Division of Religion at Emory University, M.Div. and Th.M. from Candler School of Theology at Emory, and B.A. in biology from UNC-Asheville. Her research focuses on the intersection of ethics, race, gender, and sexuality, and she is interested in the impact of black queerness on moral reasoning. Nikki has published three books: Black Queer Ethics, 2016; (with Barreto and Myers) In Tongues of Mortals and Angels, 2018; and (with Schneider) Queer Soul and Queer Theology, 2021. She is currently working on a book about freedom. Check out additional resources for learning, teaching and watching. Resources from Panelists Show Notes & Major Questions Learn more about this episode on the Religion & Website.

7. 

   19 Nov 2025

   Religion & the Shifting Demand for Philanthropy

   In the U.S., religion remains by far the largest recipient of individuals' charitable giving, though that proportion has been declining for years—reflecting major shifts in American religiosity and religious practice. In light of the shift of lessened giving coupled with a growing need for philanthropic efforts, we will explore the emerging patterns of everyday giving and volunteering as well as major trends in big philanthropy, asking how they impact and reflect shifts in religious life, civil society, and public discourse. Finally, we will address the overlapping themes of religion and philanthropy in a time of political uncertainty when it comes to funding sources, the nature and role of community, individual obligation, and the changing shape of moral imagination. Host: David King David P. King is the Karen Lake Buttrey Director of the Lake Institute on Faith and Giving and Associate Professor of Philanthropic Studies within the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Having served congregations and national faith-based organizations, he is fueled by facilitating conversations with faith leaders, donors, and fundraisers (of all generations) around the intersections of faith, giving, and the public good. In 2022, he served as the Fulbright Scotland Distinguished Scholar at the University of Edinburgh. His first book, God's Internationalists: World Vision and the Age of Evangelical Humanitarianism (UPenn Press, 2019) won the Peter Dobkin Hall Prize for the best book in the history of philanthropy. Panelist: Jason Garrett Jason Garrett has been working for over 20 years to bridge, organize, and fund member-based communities, faith groups, and more to bring about justice. As the Senior Vice President of Faith, Bridging and Belonging, Jason supports Freedom Together Foundation's mission to build the power of people who have been denied it by expanding the number and diversity of people who are rooted in a shared vision and community, and who activate their collective power to challenge oppressive systems and build a more democratic society. Panelist: Catherine Orsborn Catherine Orsborn, Ph.D., is Senior Director of Programs and Public Policy at the El-Hibri Foundation, leading initiatives that strengthen leadership, resilience, and cross-sector collaboration to advance a just and pluralistic society. Formerly Executive Director of Shoulder to Shoulder, she trained faith leaders and led advocacy addressing anti-Muslim bias. An academic and teacher, Catherine has taught at multiple universities and holds a Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. She lives in Nashville with her husband and three children. Panelist: Benjamin Soskis Benjamin Soskis, a historian of philanthropy and civil society, is a senior research associate at the Urban Institute's Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy, the co-editor of the web publication HistPhil, and in 2025, a Visiting Scholar at Independent Sector. A frequent contributor to The Chronicle of Philanthropy, his writing on philanthropy and civil society has also appeared in The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and the Guardian. Soskis is coauthor of The Battle Hymn of the Republic: A Biography of the Song that Marches On (Oxford, 2013) and co-editor of Giving in Time: Temporal Considerations in Philanthropy (Rowman & Littlefield/Urban Institute, 2023). He received his PhD in American History from Columbia University. Check out additional resources for learning, teaching and watching. Resources from Panelists Learn more about this episode on the Religion & Website.

8. 

   29 Oct 2025

   Religion & New Religious Movements in Contemporary Crises

   This episode of Religion & delves into how contemporary religious movements address urgent political, cultural, and environmental crises, from technological transformation to ecological collapse. Looking across a wide array of new religious movements, participants will investigate how these movements reimagine ancient practices for modern concerns while creating new frameworks for living. Join us for a lively discussion at the intersection of modern-day crises and the ways religion shapes and is shaped by these shifts in religious tradition. Host: Kelly E. Hayes Kelly E. Hayes is Professor of Religious Studies at Indiana University Indianapolis. An ethnographer who conducts long-term fieldwork projects, she is an expert on alternative and new religious movements, Brazilian religions, religion and healing, religions of the African diaspora, and religion, gender and sexuality. She studies forms of human cultural production that outsiders label as "cults" or "black magic"—that is, ways of engaging the supernatural that are deemed illegitimate — and the communities that form around them. Her body of work centers these communities and the lived experiences of their members. It argues not only for the significance of these groups, but that taking them seriously yields important theoretical insights for the field of religious studies and the humanities more broadly. Panelist: Knut Graw Knut Graw (PhD) is a social and cultural anthropologist and a permanent research fellow at the Center for Advanced Studies for the Humanities and Social Sciences – Erlangen "Alternative Rationalities and Esoteric Practices in Global Perspective" (CAS-E) at the Friedrich Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg. His research focuses on divination, migration, and religious practices in Senegal and the Gambia. His theoretical interests include phenomenological theory, ritual studies, and questions of anthropological methodology. He is the co-editor of "The Global Horizon: Migratory Expectations in Africa and the Middle East" (Leuven University Press). Panelist: Daria Hartmann Daria Hartmann is a PhD candidate at the University of Münster, where she also teaches in the Department of Religious Studies. She holds a BA in Religious Studies and Anthropology from the University of Münster and an M.Sc. in Conflict Resolution and Governance from the University of Amsterdam. Following training in non-violent conflict transformation, her research now examines the intersection of religion, politics, and digital culture, with particular attention to conspiracy theories. Her dissertation investigates QAnon as a case study for understanding how digital platforms reshape religious meaning-making and truth production. Panelist: Benjamin Zeller Benjamin E. Zeller is the Irvin L. & Fern D. Young Presidential Professor of Religion at Lake Forest College (Chicago, USA). He studies North American religion, focusing on such topics as new religions, the religious engagement with science, and the quasi-religious relationship people have with food and other forms of culture. He is the author or editor of six books, and co-general editor of Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions. Check out additional resources for learning, teaching and watching. Teaching and Learning Resources Resources from Panelists Show Notes & Major Questions Learn more about this episode on the Religion & Website.

9. 

   26 Sept 2025

   Religion & Cross-Cultural Christian Nationalism

   Religious nationalism is not bound by national borders. Examining Christian nationalism in the United States and Brazil provides an opportunity to discuss the similarities and differences in its history, prominence, and influence in a cross-national perspective. This discussion will also reflect on the various responses to religious nationalism in each country both institutionally and across the population. In this episode of Religion &, we will explore the intersection of two contrasting versions of Christian nationalism and how we might better understand the impetus for and responses to each. Host: Andrew Whitehead Andrew Whitehead is Professor of Sociology and Executive Director of the Association of Religion Data Archives (theARDA.com) at the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture at Indiana University Indianapolis. He is also a research fellow for the Charles F. Kettering Foundation. Whitehead is one of the foremost scholars of Christian nationalism in the United States. He is the author of American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens the Church, which was awarded the 2024 Gold Medal Book Award for Religion from Foreword Reviews and the 2024 Midwest Book Award winner for Religion & Philosophy. Panelist: João Chaves João Chaves is Assistant Professor of the History of Religion in the Americas at Baylor University’s Department of Religion. At Baylor, he also serves as a codirector of the Baptist Scholars International Roundtable, a member of the Graduate Faculty in Religion, and an affiliated faculty member in the Ethics Initiative of the College of Arts and Sciences. An award-winning author of several books, Chaves is currently working on projects that examine Latino migration and religion, the Christian far right in the Americas, and transnational investment patterns of immigrant-led churches in the US. His public-facing scholarship has been published in various periodicals and magazines, including The Washington Post and The Christian Century. Panelist: Miranda Cruz Miranda Cruz is Professor of Historical Theology at Indiana Wesleyan University. She teaches theology and church history, with a focus on the practical application of Christian doctrine in life and ministry. She has written several articles on topics related to Christianity under Communism in Eastern Europe. She is also the author of Faithful Politics: Ten Approaches to Christian Citizenship and Why It Matters (IVP Academic, 2024). Panelist: Ronilso Pacheco Ronilso Pacheco, a Brazilian theologian graduated from PUC-Rio (Catholic Pontifical University of Rio de Janeiro) and holds an M.A. in Religion and Society from Union Theological Seminary in New York City. Ronilso is the program director at ISER (Institute of Studies on Religion) and was a professor of Ethics in the Philosophy Department at Manhattan University. Ronilso is a researcher interested in democracy, race, fundamentalism, and extremism. He is the author of the books Teologia Negra (Black Theology) and Occupy, Resist, and Subvert. He is a frequent contributor to various media outlets in Brazil and a regular columnist for the UOL channel, where he comments on international politics and religion. Check out additional resources for learning, teaching and watching. Resources from Panelists Learn more about this episode on the Religion & Website.

10. 

    9 May 2025

    Conversations at the Center: Willie Jennings

    Religion &: Conversations at the Center Welcome to our new podcast series titled Religion &: Conversations at the Center. These episodes will feature conversations led by scholars at the Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture with thought leaders, provocateurs, and groundbreaking scholars and practitioners in the fields of religion and American culture. Our goal is to have conversations that will push the field and the broader public to think deeply and to elevate issues and questions about religion and religious communities that have otherwise been buried or under examined and bring them to the center for debate, engagement, and, hopefully, for communities to explore and transform these ideas together. Our Conversation with Willie Jennings In this episode, Dr. Joseph L. Tucker Edmonds, Associate Director of the Center, interviews Dr. Willie James Jennings, the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Theology and Africana Studies at Yale University Divinity School. The two discuss a wide array of topics including the study and terminologies of Black thought, the relationship between scholarship and creativity that is often ignored, and the reality of connection that is centered on the natural world. About Willie Jennings Willie James Jennings is a theologian who teaches in the areas of Christian thought, race theory, decolonial, and environmental studies. Dr. Jennings is the author of The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race, published by Yale University Press and recipient of the 2010 American Academy of Religion Book of the Year in the Constructive-Reflective Studies category. It is one of the most important books in theology written in the last 25 years and is now a standard text read in colleges, seminaries, and universities. Dr. Jennings’ commentary on the Book of Acts won the Reference Book of the Year Award from The Academy of Parish Clergy. He is also the author of After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging, which was the inaugural book in the much-anticipated book series, Theological Education Between the Times, and has already become an instant classic, winning the 2020 book of the year award from Publisher’s Weekly. It was also selected as a finalist for the 2021 American Academy of Religion Book of the Year in the Constructive-Reflective Studies category and in 2023 won the Lilly Fellows Program Book Award. Dr. Jennings is completing work on a two-volume project on the doctrine of creation. Volume two, provisionally titled, Jesus and the Displaced: The Redemption of Habitation, will be published before volume one which carries the provisional title, Unfolding the Word: Recasting a Christian Doctrine of Creation. Dr. Jennings is also finishing a book of poetry entitled, The Time of Possession.

11. 

    15 Apr 2025

    Religion & the Madhouse: Featuring Judith Weisenfeld

    On this episode of Religion &, we invited scholars to engage in a wide-ranging conversation with Judith Weisenfeld on facets of her newest publication Black Religion in the Madhouse: Race and Psychiatry in Slavery’s Wake (NYU Press, 2025). Listen to our conversation with Dr. Judith Weisenfeld that unpacks Black religious beliefs, new religious movements, and “religious excitement” as a psychiatric concept in institutionalization. Co-Host: Joseph L. Tucker Edmonds Joseph L. Tucker Edmonds is Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Africana Studies at Indiana University Indianapolis and the Associate Director of the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and Economics from Brown University, his Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in New York City, and his PhD in Religious Studies from Duke University. His research interests are Black religion and the Black body, alternative Christianities, and the role of scripture in African and African American religious traditions. His book, The Other Black Church: Alternative Christian Movements and the Struggle for Black Freedom (Fortress, 2020), highlights the variety and vibrancy of the African American Christian sphere during the latter half of the twentieth century and it adds to the growing body of work that is addressing alternative Christian traditions in the Black public sphere. Co-Host: Philippa Koch Philippa Koch is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Missouri State University. Her research and teaching center on religion, health, and society in America and its global context. Her recent publications include “Records of Relinquishment: Caregiving and Emotion in the Philanthropy Archive,” an article which appeared in The Public Historian in May 2024, as well as her first book, The Course of God’s Providence: Religion, Health, and the Body in Early America, which was published in 2021 by NYU Press. She is currently working on her next book, Medicine and American Religion, which is under contract with Routledge. Featured Scholar: Judith Weisenfeld Judith Weisenfeld is Agate Brown and George L. Collord Professor of Religion and associated faculty in the Department of African American Studies and the Program in Gender and Sexuality Studies at Princeton University. Her research focuses on early twentieth-century African American religious history, including the relation of religion to constructions of race, the impact on black religious life of migration, immigration, and urbanization, African American women’s religious history, religion in film and popular culture, and religion and medicine. She is the author of Black Religion in the Madhouse: Race and Psychiatry in Slavery’s Wake (NYU Press, 2025), New World A-Coming: Black Religion and Racial Identity During the Great Migration (NYU 2016), which won the 2017 Albert J. Raboteau Prize for the Best Book in Africana Religions, Hollywood Be Thy Name: African American Religion in American Film, 1929–1949 (California 2007), and African American Women and Christian Activism: New York’s Black YWCA, 1905–1945 (Harvard 1997), as well as many articles and book chapters on topics in African American and American religious history and culture. Her current research focuses on the psychiatry, race, and Black religions in the late nineteenth and early 20th century United States. Check out additional resources for learning, teaching and watching. Teaching and Learning Resources Resources from Panelists Show Notes & Major Questions Learn more about this episode on the Religion & Website.

12. 

    11 Mar 2025

    Religion & Latinx Traditions

    This episode will cover three new directions at the intersection of religion & Latinx traditions. First, panelists will reflect on politics and voting, offering insight from the 2024 election. Second, they will discuss emerging patterns in religious conversion or switching. Finally, the panelists will offer insight into new research directions in the field of US Latinx religion. Join us for an enlightening conversation where we explore Religion & Latinx Traditions. Host: Lloyd Barba Lloyd Barba is Assistant Professor of Religion and Core Faculty in Latinx and Latin American Studies at Amherst College. Along with Sergio González of Marquette University, he is the co-writer and co-host of the recently released, seven-episode podcast series Sanctuary: On the Border of Church and State. He is the author of the award-winning book Sowing the Sacred: Mexican-Pentecostal Farmworkers in California (Oxford University Press, 2022; paperback 2023) and editor of the newly-released volume Latin American and US Latino Religions in North America (Bloomsbury, 2024). Panelist: Jonathan Calvillo Jonathan Calvillo is Assistant Professor of Latinx Communities at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. His work examines how distinct Latine populations build communities of belonging through faith and creativity, often amidst systemic exclusion. As a sociologist and ethnographer, his expertise resides at the intersections of Latine lived religion, ethnoracial formation, civic engagement, urban migration, and grassroots creative movements. Calvillo has published three books: The Saints of Santa Ana: Faith and Ethnicity in a Mexican Majority City, In the Time of Sky-rhyming: How Hip Hop Resonated in Brown Los Angeles, and When the Spirit Is Your Inheritance: Reflections on Borderlands Pentecostalism. Panelist: Gastón Espinosa Gastón Espinosa is Arthur V. Stoughton Professor of Religious Studies at Claremont McKenna College. He has directed nine major surveys on Latino religions, politics, and activism from 1998–2022. He is the author or co-author of nine books; fifty refereed articles, book chapters, and reviews; sixty encyclopedia entries; 200 scholarly keynotes and presentations around the world; has made numerous television, radio, and media appearances; and has served as the director of eight major conferences. Panelist: Sujey Vega Sujey Vega is Associate Professor of American Studies and Women and Gender Studies at Arizona State University. Trained as an applied anthropologist, Vega’s publications range from ethno-religious belonging, addressing the needs of Latina domestic violence survivors, and amplifying the voices of Latina/o Midwestern communities. Her first book, Latino Heartland (2015) earned honorable mention by the Gloria E. Anzaldúa Book Prize committee. Her forthcoming book, Mormon Barrio: Latinx Belonging in the Church of Latter Day Saints, historically locates the growth of Latina/o LDS members in the Phoenix area and the role the LDS church plays in the lives of current Latino Mormons. Check out additional resources for learning, teaching and watching. Teaching and Learning Resources Resources from Panelists Show Notes & Major Questions Learn more about this episode on the Religion & Website.

13. 

    25 Feb 2025

    Religion & Obsolescence

    On this episode of Religion &, we featured a special preview conversation about Christian Smith’s forthcoming book, Why Religion Went Obsolete: The Demise of Traditional Faith in America (Oxford University Press, 2025). Christian Smith, William R. Kenan Professor of Sociology at University of Notre Dame, has been a leading scholar of American religion for more than 30 years with many agenda-setting concepts, arguments, and books to his name. Based on a new survey and hundreds of interviews, Smith offers a sweeping account of why many Americans have lost faith in traditional religion and why it can be considered “obsolete.” Our conversation will address the book’s main themes and findings, probe Smith’s thinking about religion, secularism, and enchantment, and engage the many implications of the trends Smith outlines. Listen to this conversation that is provocative and illuminating on the current state of faith decline. Host: Brian Steensland Brian Steensland is Professor and Chair of Sociology at Indiana University Indianapolis. His areas of interest include religion, culture, politics, and civic life in contemporary American society. His books include Situating Spirituality: Context, Practice, and Power (Oxford, 2022), co-edited with Jaime Kucinskas and Anna Sun; The New Evangelical Social Engagement (Oxford, 2014), co-edited with Philip Goff; and The Failed Welfare Revolution: America’s Struggle over Guaranteed Income Policy (Princeton, 2008). His articles include The Measure of American Religion (Social Forces, 2000) and Cultural Categories and the American Welfare State (American Journal of Sociology, 2006). Panelist: Carol Ann MacGregor Carol Ann MacGregor is Vice President Academic and Dean (VPAD) at St. Jerome’s University which is the Catholic university federated with the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario. Dr. MacGregor holds a PhD in Sociology from Princeton University and her research on Catholic K-12 education, religious non-affiliation and religion and civic engagement has appeared in journals including American Catholic Studies, American Sociological Review, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, and Social Science Research. Dr. MacGregor previously served as Vice Provost of Academic Affairs and was an Associate Professor of Sociology at Loyola University New Orleans. Panelist: Christian Smith Christian Smith is the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for the Study of Religion and Society at the University of Notre Dame. Smith is a leading American theorist of the philosophy of critical realism and the social theory of personalism. His larger theoretical agenda has been to move personhood, morality, motivated action, culture, and identity to the center of sociological theorizing generally and the sociology of religion specifically. Smith’s critical realist personalism require social science to revise its dominant approaches to causation, social ontology, and explanation. Check out additional resources for learning, teaching and watching. Teaching Resources Show Notes Resources from Panelists Learn more about this episode on the Religion & website.

14. 

    28 Jan 2025

    Religion & Catholic Studies

    On this episode of Religion &, we cultivated a wide-ranging discussion of the present state and prospects of Catholic Studies, 60 years after the close of Vatican II. What do recent institutional crosscurrents (e.g., synodality and increasing lay participation versus an increasingly conservative American priesthood) mean for the field? What is the status of Catholic studies in the wider academy? What are the neglected areas in scholarship, whether historical, theological, or social scientific? Listen to this conversation at the intersection of religion, institutional transformations, and the future of Catholic Studies. Co-Host: Peter J. Thuesen Peter J. Thuesen is Professor of Religious Studies at Indiana University Indianapolis and co-editor of Religion and American Culture: A Journal of Interpretation. From 2009 to 2015, he chaired Indiana University Indianapolis’ Department of Religious Studies. A historian of American religion and the Christian tradition, he is author, most recently, of Tornado God: American Religion and Violent Weather (Oxford, 2020), which received the 2021 Christianity Today Book Award for History/Biography. His current book project is The People’s Cardinal: Richard Cushing and the Age of Catholic Optimism. Co-Host: Meghan Bowen Meghan Bowen is a PhD (Theology) candidate at Regis College (Toronto, ON). Her research seeks to reconsider St. Augustine’s theology of marriage within his socio-historical context as a means of advancing current theological discussions of marriage and of sexual ethics. Along with an MA in Theology, Meghan also holds an MA in Ethnomusicology. Beyond her academic work, Meghan is involved in music and liturgy, and has offered workshops on moral formation and the Christian life. Meghan is currently working as a research associate with the Religious Parenting in the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis project. Panelist: Tricia C. Bruce Tricia C. Bruce (PhD, University of California Santa Barbara) is a sociologist of religion whose books & major reports include Parish & Place, Polarization in the U.S. Catholic Church, Faithful Revolution, and How Americans Understand Abortion. Her work appears in The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, Science Advances, and more, garnering awards from the Catholic Press Association, American Sociological Association Religion Section, and Religious Research Association. She is currently President of the Association for the Sociology of Religion; Consultor to the Vatican’s General Secretariat of the Synod; Director of Springtide Research Institute; and faculty fellow of USC’s Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies. Panelist: Michael Pasquier Michael Pasquier is the Jaak Seynaeve Professor of Christian Studies and Professor of Religious Studies and History at Louisiana State University. He served as President of the American Catholic Historical Association in 2023. He is the author of Religion in America: The Basics and Fathers on the Frontier: French Missionaries and the Roman Catholic Priesthood in the United States, 1789-1870. He’s also the editor of the book Gods of the Mississippi and producer of the documentary film Water Like Stone. Dr. Pasquier’s scholarship has been supported by the Mellon Foundation, the Whiting Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Panelist: Susan K. Wood Susan K. Wood is Professor of Systemic Theology at Regis College in the Toronto School of Theology, Canada. She received her doctorate in systematic theology from Marquette University. Very active in ecumenical work, she serves on the U.S. Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue (1994-2019), the North American Roman Catholic-Orthodox Theological Consultation (2005-present), the International Lutheran-Catholic Dialogue (2008-2019), and the conversation between the Baptist World Alliance and the Roman Catholic Church (2006-2010, 2017-2022). She serves on the editorial advisory board of the journal Ecclesiology and the Toronto Journal of Theology. Most of her writing explores the connections between ecclesiology and sacramental theology. Check out additional resources for learning, teaching and watching. Teaching Resources Show Notes Resources from Panelists Learn more about this episode on the Religion & website.

15. 

    12 Dec 2024

    Religion & Future Humans: Featuring Sylvester A. Johnson

    On this episode of Religion &, we invited three scholars to engage in a wide-ranging conversation with Dr. Sylvester A. Johnson, a leading thinker and theorist in the field of American religion. Dr. Johnson is not only known for his contributions as a historian and theorist, but he is highly regarded as an innovator and boundary breaker who disrupts disciplines and creates spaces for emerging themes and questions amongst scholars of religion.  As the director of the Luce-funded “Future Humans, Human Futures” project, Dr. Johnson explores the intersection of religion, technology, and ethics to tackle what it means to be human in this current moment.  Philip Goff, Andrea Jain, and Leonard McKinnis joined us to interrogate and theorize alongside Dr. Johnson the futures of the humanities, surveillance, and AI and how they are all deeply impacted by religion. Engage in a conversation with Dr. Sylvester A. Johnson that promises to push boundaries, imagine new possibilities, and unpack emerging theories as we think about the future of religion and the humans that are shaped by them. Featured Panelist: Sylvester A. Johnson Sylvester A. Johnson is Professor of Black Studies at Northwestern University. He was appointed to hold the 2024 Kluge Chair in Technology and Society at the Library of Congress’s Kluge Center. As a scholar of race, religion, and technology, Johnson works at the intersection of technical and humanistic stakeholders to advance more democratic, inclusive outcomes for an innovation-driven society. His research has examined religion, race, and empire in the Atlantic world; religion and sexuality; national security practices; and the impact of intelligent machines and human enhancement on human identity and systems of racial domination. Johnson is a founding co-editor of the Journal of Africana Religions. He has authored two books: African American Religions, 1500–2000: Colonialism, Democracy, and Freedom, published by Cambridge University Press in 2015 and a winner of the Choice Outstanding Academic Title Award, and The Myth of Ham in Nineteenth-Century American Christianity: Race, Heathens, and the People of God, published by Palgrave MacMillan in 2004, which garnered the American Academy of Religion’s Best First Book Award. He also co-edited, with Steven Weitzman, The FBI and Religion: Faith and National Security Before and After 9/11, published by University of California Press in 2017. Panelist: Philip Goff Philip Goff is Professor of History at Indiana University Indianapolis and Executive Director of the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture. His research specialization is American religious history, with eight books and over 200 articles, reviews, and scholarly papers in that area. His recent books include: Civil Religion in America: Religion and the American Nation in the Twenty-First Century (with Rhys Williams and Raymond Haberski), The Bible in American Life (with Arthur Farnsley II and Peter Thuesen), and Religion and the Marketplace in the United States (with Jan Stievermann and Detlef Junker). In addition, he is the lead co-editor of Religion & American Culture: A Journal of Interpretation. Panelist: Andrea Jain Andrea R. Jain, Ph.D. is Professor of Religious Studies at Indiana University Indianapolis and research affiliate at Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute, editor of the Journal of the American Academy of Religion, and author of Selling Yoga: From Counterculture to Pop Culture (Oxford 2014) and Peace Love Yoga: The Politics of Global Spirituality (Oxford, 2020). She received her doctorate degree in religious studies from Rice University in 2010. Her areas of research include religion and capitalism; global spirituality and modern yoga; gender, sexuality, and religion; and theories of religion. Panelist: Leonard C. McKinnis, II Leonard C. McKinnis, II is Assistant Professor of Religion and Black Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is a scholar of 20th century Black religious movements that spawned in the wake of the Great Migration. His first book, The Black Coptic Church: Race and Imagination in a New Religion, was published in 2023 with NYU Press. At present, McKinnis is working on an ethnographic study of the Nation of Islam. The book, tentatively titled, Everyday Muslim: Material Spirituality and Lived Religion in the Nation of Islam, investigates spirituality as material and embodied practice among Nation of Islam followers. His work has been supported by the Crossroads Fellowship, Wabash, and the American Academy of Religion. Check out additional resources for learning, teaching and watching. Teaching Resources Show Notes Resources from Panelists Learn more about this episode on the Religion & website.

16. 

    26 Nov 2024

    Religion & the Aftermath of the 2024 Election

    The 2024 election season has been marked by unexpected and almost unbelievable twists and turns that have impacted every corner of American culture. From the contentious discourse on women’s rights to the daily news from war zones around the world, this political moment highlights the deep polarization throughout the country and the difficulty of engaging in thoughtful and reasoned debate. Religion and religious difference, furthermore, seems to be implicated in many of these debates as well as the larger question of what constitutes American democracy. During this episode, panelists will discuss the results of the 2024 election, how those results were shaped by religious ideology and communities, and how religious communities historically and in the present moment have shaped presidential politics. The panelists will also explore the ways that themes from earlier episodes, like Islamophobia, antisemitism, and White Christian nationalism, have played a critical and outsized role in this election cycle. Join us for a conversation at the intersection of religion, politics, and the aftermath of the 2024 election. Host: Andrew Whitehead Andrew Whitehead is Professor of Sociology and Executive Director of the Association of Religion Data Archives (theARDA.com) at the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture at Indiana University Indianapolis. Whitehead is one of the foremost scholars of Christian nationalism in the United States. He is the author of American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens the Church, which was awarded the 2024 Gold Medal Book Award for Religion from Foreword Reviews and the 2024 Midwest Book Award winner for Religion & Philosophy. Panelist: Katie Gaddini Katie Gaddini is Visiting Scholar at Stanford University and Associate Professor of Sociology at the Social Research Institute, University College London (UCL). She is currently writing a book on Christian women and conservative politics from 1970 to present. She regularly writes op-eds and gives expert opinion to the media, including The New York Times, BBC News, CNN International, TIME magazine, Newsweek, the San Francisco Chronicle, and The Hill. Panelist: Nancy A. Khalil Nancy A. Khalil is Assistant Professor in American Culture and Core Faculty in the Program on Arab and Muslim American Studies at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Her research interests include Muslims, ethnography, religion, racialization, and advertising. Her current book project forthcoming with Stanford University Press is an ethnographic research project on Islamic higher education institutes and religious clerics, or imams, in the United States. Panelist: Eric L. McDaniel Eric L. McDaniel is Professor in the Department of Government and Co-director of the Politics of Race and Ethnicity Lab at the University of Texas at Austin. He is a graduate of Wilberforce University, the oldest private historically Black college or university, and took his PhD. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His research examines how the intersection of race and religion influence the American political landscape. His first book, Politics in the Pews: The Political Mobilization of Black Churches, provides an explanation for why some Black churches choose to engage the political world while others do not. His most recent book, The Everyday Crusade: Christian Nationalism in American Politics, was co-authored with Irfan Nooruddin and Allyson Shortle. Check out additional resources for learning, teaching and watching. Teaching and Learning Resources Resources from Panelists Show Notes & Major Questions Learn more about this episode on the Religion & Website.

17. 

    23 Oct 2024

    Religion & Islamophobia

    Episode Description As the political and human casualties of the Israel-Palestine crisis continue to increase and shape the current state of the Arabic world, there has been a rise in instances of Islamophobia as well as a rise in protests, especially on university campuses, against this surging anti-Islamic sentiment. During this episode, panelists will discuss the history of the concept Islamophobia, its impact on American culture, and what other concepts might better explain the historical and contemporary moments that we face. The panelists will also explore the relationship between antisemitism and Islamophobia and why scholars and thinkers of religion are uniquely placed to think through the complex and often unclear relationship of these phenomena. Join us for a conversation at the intersection of religion, Islamophobia, and the current state of political unrest. Host: Khadija Khaja Khadija Khaja is Associate Professor of Social Work at Indiana University Indianapolis. Her research interests include building inclusive teaching and learning climates, international social work practice, Islamophobia, Muslim social work needs, bullying of Muslims, civil discourse in higher education, the practice of female circumcision, addressing the growth of white nationalist movements, and effective teaching/learning in online communities. Panelist: Zareena Grewal Zareena Grewal is Associate Professor of American Studies, Ethnicity, Race, & Migration, and Religious Studies at Yale University. She is a historical anthropologist and a documentary filmmaker whose research focuses on race, gender, religion, nationalism, and transnationalism across a wide spectrum of American Muslim communities. Her first book, Islam Is a Foreign Country: American Muslims and the Global Crisis of Authority (NYU 2013), is an ethnography of transnational Muslim networks that link US mosques to Islamic movements in the post-colonial Middle East through debates about the reform of Islam. Panelist: Talha Kahf Talha Kahf, a senior at the Indiana University School of Social Work, is a Muslim Syrian living in the Midwest. Born to a mother who came from a refugee background, Talha grew up learning to identify structural gaps in society. Along the journey, Talha and his family experienced Islamophobia within the education, healthcare, and legal systems. With each experience, Talha developed his personal values and began on a journey of ancestral connection and decolonization. Panelist: Kayla Renée Wheeler Kayla Renée Wheeler is Assistant Professor of Critical Ethnic Studies and Theology and the Africana Studies Program Director at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dr. Wheeler is an expert in Black Islam, Islamic bioethics, and digital religion. Currently, she is writing a book entitled, Fashioning Black Islam, which provides a history of Black Muslim fashion in the United States from the 1930s to the present. She is the author of the digital humanities project, Mapping Malcolm’s Boston, which explores Malcolm X’s life in Boston from the 1940s to 1950s. Dr. Wheeler is also the curator of the award-winning Black Islam Syllabus. Check out additional resources for learning, teaching and watching. Resources from Panelists Show Notes & Major Questions Learn more about this episode on the Religion & website.

18. 

    24 Sept 2024

    Religion & Antisemitism

    Antisemitism has deep roots in American history and has continued to shape popular and political culture in the contemporary moment. Yet in many mainstream discussions in the United States, we often talk about it as if it were something new. This panel—featuring the authors of and experts featured on the podcast Antisemitism, U.S.A.—will discuss the long history of antisemitism, and how the fields of religious studies and American religious history think through the significance of that form of discrimination and violence in relation to the rest of American history. Join us for a conversation at the intersection of religion, American culture, and the history of antisemitism. Co-Host: Lincoln Mullen Lincoln Mullen is Professor of History at George Mason University and Executive Director of the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media. He is the author of The Chance of Salvation: A History of Conversion in America (2017), America’s Public Bible: A Commentary (2022), and Antisemitism, U.S.A.: A History (2024). Co-Host: John Turner John Turner teaches and writes about the the place of religion in American history. He came to George Mason University in 2012, having earned a Ph.D. in American History from the University of Notre Dame and a Masters of Divinity from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Turner is the author of several books, including Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet (Yale, 2025); They Knew They Were Pilgrims (Yale, 2020), and Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet (Harvard, 2012). He co-wrote the scripts for Antisemitism, U.S.A. Panelist: Sarah Imhoff Sarah Imhoff is Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein Chair in Jewish Studies and Professor in the Department of Religious Studies and the Borns Jewish Studies Program at Indiana University, Bloomington. She writes about religion and the body with a particular interest in gender, sexuality, race, and disability. She is author of Masculinity and the Making of American Judaism (Indiana University Press, 2017) and The Lives of Jessie Sampter: Queer, Disabled, Zionist (Duke University Press, 2022) and, with Susannah Heschel, The Woman Question in Jewish Studies (Princeton University Press, forthcoming 2025). She is the founding co-editor of the journal American Religion. Panelist: Britt Tevis Britt Tevis is Backer Assistant Professor in Jewish Studies in the Department of History at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. She teaches courses on the history of antisemitism in the United States as well as American Jewish history. Her anthology of historical texts illuminating various dimensions of antisemitism in the United States will be published by Yale University Press in 2025. She earned her Ph.D. and J.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Check out additional resources for learning, teaching and watching. Resources from Panelists Show Notes & Major Questions Learn more about this episode on the Religion & website.

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