Walter A. McDougall At length I gained insight, not because I somehow “figured it out,” but because the historical truth imposed itself on me.
Seven Questions
Exploring a Year in White: 7 Questions for C. Lynn Carr
C. Lynn Carr A major inspiration for me was anthropologist of religion Karen McCarthy Brown, particularly in her groundbreaking work Mama Lola: A Vodou Priestess in Brooklyn.
Ethnic Christianities: 7 Questions for Prema Kurien
Prema Kurien My research showed that immigrant churches like the Mar Thoma face several challenges if they are to successfully institutionalize as an “ethnic” church in a context where Christianity is the majority religion.
Religion and the Black Power Movement: 7 Questions for Kerry Pimblott
Kerry Pimblott When I talked with Illinois-based scholars and activists about Black Power they would often mention Reverend Charles Koen and the United Front organization of Cairo, Illinois, as an important but forgotten local struggle.
On Gender and American Judaism: 7 Questions with Sarah Imhoff
Sarah Imhoff Men have gender too, and that gender is not unchanging or ahistorical.
On Getting to Know the Seemingly Different: 7 Questions for Kyle Conway
Kyle Conway But the paradox of salable diversity is not insurmountable. Over the course of six seasons, the show’s makers found ways to push against the limits they faced.
On Transitioning Out of the Academy: 7 Questions for Kelly Baker
Kelly J. Baker I don’t really define religion in relation to my work in this, but rather I write about the field of religious studies and the problem of contingent labor that religious studies and other scholars in the humanities face.
Humor is Not Just Entertainment: 7 Questions for David Feltmate
David Feltmate Popular culture scholarship is actually quite difficult, but people seem to think it is easy. It is not enough to just watch TV or listen to music, you really have to dig into the significance of the material and its social importance.
How Group Identities Work: 7 Questions for Michael Altman
Michael J. Altman First, I’d want readers to understand that when “we” talk about “them” over there (whether in India or, say, the Middle East) we are really talking about what it means to be “us.”
Tactile Materiality and Iconic Abundance in Zen? 7 Questions for Pamela Winfield and Steven Heine
Pamela D. Winfield and Steven Heine We hope to demonstrate the tactile materiality and iconic abundance of the tradition, thereby calling attention to the vast range of “stuff” in Zen.