American Academy of Religion
Episodes
The Sovereignty of Hope: Scholarship, Precarity, and the Future of Academic Freedom
11 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A recording of one of Leela Prasad's presidential plenaries, held at the 2025 AAR Annual Meeting in Boston. Leela Prasad, Brown University, presid...
The Role of Religion in Today's Democratic Crises
06 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
“Jesus saves” banners at the January 6th insurrection. Evangelical elevation of President Trump as God’s elect. Claims of religious freedom use...
Androgynes and Eunuchs in Rabbinic Literature with Max K. Strassfeld
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Max K. Strassfeld, associate professor of religion at the University of Southern California and winner of the 2023 AAR Book Award for Excellence i...
The RSN Podcast: In Conversation with AAR Book Award Winner Karen V. Guth
21 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Karen V. Guth, associate professor of religious studies at the College of the Holy Cross and winner of the 2023 AAR Book Award for Excellence in ...
The RSN Podcast: In Conversation with AAR Book Award Winner William Robert
17 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
William Robert, professor of religion at Syracuse University and winner of the 2023 AAR Book Award in Religion and the Arts, speaks to Kristian Peters...
The RSN Podcast: In Conversation with William Calvo-Quirós
16 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
William Calvo-Quirós, associate professor of American culture at the University of Michigan and winner of the 2023 Best First Book in the History of ...
The RSN Podcast: In Conversation with AAR Book Award Winner Mary Dunn
09 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Mary Dunn — professor of Modern Christianity in the department of theological studies at Saint Louis University, director of the Center for Research...
American Secularism and Its Believers with Charles McCrary
18 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
American Secularism and Its Believers with Charles McCrary by American Academy of Religion
The Role of Western Universities in Modern Islamic Thought with Megan Brankley Abbas
03 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Role of Western Universities in Modern Islamic Thought with Megan Brankley Abbas by American Academy of Religion
A Comparative Study of the Cántico Espiritual and the Rāsa Līlā with Gloria Maité Hernández
04 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A Comparative Study of the Cántico Espiritual and the Rāsa Līlā with Gloria Maité Hernández by American Academy of Religion
Religious Cultures of Enslaved Women in the Lower South with Alexis Wells-Oghoghomeh
08 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Religious Cultures of Enslaved Women in the Lower South with Alexis Wells-Oghoghomeh by American Academy of Religion
Metamodernism and the Future of Theory with Jason Ānanda Josephson Storm
02 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Metamodernism and the Future of Theory with Jason Ānanda Josephson Storm by American Academy of Religion
Art as Embodied Experience with Kathryn R. Barush
04 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Art as Embodied Experience with Kathryn R. Barush by American Academy of Religion
2023 AAR Presidential Address - Amir Hussain
06 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
2023 AAR Presidential Address - Amir Hussain by American Academy of Religion
Buddhist Chaplaincy in Japan with Adam Lyons
06 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Adam Lyons joins Kristian Petersen to discuss his award-winning book "Karma and Punishment: Prison Chaplaincy in Japan" (Harvard University Press).
Rape, Sexual Violence, and the Hebrew Bible with Rhiannon Graybill
18 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rhiannon Graybill joins Kristian Petersen to discuss her award-winning book, Texts after Terror: Rape, Sexual Violence, and the Hebrew Bible (Oxford U...
AAR 2022 Presidential Address - Mayra Rivera
21 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
AAR 2022 Presidential Address - Mayra Rivera by American Academy of Religion
AAR Presidents Address - Mayra Rivera
15 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
AAR Presidents Address - Mayra Rivera by American Academy of Religion
Women, Prayer, and Poetry in Iran with Niloofar Haeri
12 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Women, Prayer, and Poetry in Iran with Niloofar Haeri by American Academy of Religion
Building on Jonathan Z. Smith's Study of Religion with Sam Gill
13 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Gill joins Kristian Petersen to discuss his award-winning 2021 book, The Proper Study of Religion: Building on Jonathan Z. Smith (OUP, 2020).
Artistic Devotion of Buddhist Women in Late Imperial China
16 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Yuhang Li joins Kristian Petersen to discuss her award-winning book, Becoming Guanyin: Artistic Devotion of Buddhist Women in Late Imperial China (Col...
The Death of Children in Late Antiquity with Maria E. Doerfler
04 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Maria E. Doerfler joins Kristian Petersen to discuss her award-winning book, "Jephthah’s Daughter, Sarah’s Son: The Death of Children in Late Anti...
Aztec Religion and Art of Writing with Isabel Laack
27 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Aztec Religion and Art of Writing with Isabel Laack by American Academy of Religion
Christianity and the New Spirit of Capitalism with Kathryn Tanner
09 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Kathryn Tanner joins Kristian Petersen to discuss her award-winning 2020 book, "Christianity and the New Spirit of Capitalism." Through the book, Tann...
AAR 2021 Presidential Address - Marla Frederick
09 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
2021 AAR President Marla Frederick delivers her presidential address to a crowd at the 2021 Annual Meeting in San Antonio, TX.
Competing Constructions of Religious Freedom in Allied-Occupied Japan
14 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Despite the Japanese constitution guaranteeing religious freedom since 1889, after World War II, the United States-occupiers deemed that guarantee fla...
State and Religious Rituals of Religion and State among the Buryat People
24 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The fall of the Soviet Union provides the cultural space for a revival of the religious practices of the Buryat, an indigenous people of southern Sibe...
The Little Ice Age and Devotional Practices in the Transforming Landscape of Northern India
20 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sugata Ray's 2019 book "Climate Change and the Art of Devotion: Geoaesthetics in the Land of Krishna, 1550-1850" won AAR's Religion and the Arts Book ...
A Counternarrative of Buddhism in Modern History with Matthew W. King
01 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Through a case study of Zava Damdin, a monk living on the frontier of Mongolia at the end of the Qing empire (early 20th century), Matthew King invite...
Caretaking and Childrearing in Modern Jewish Theology with Mara Benjamin
18 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Mara Benjamin, Irene Kaplan Leiwant Professor of Jewish Studies at Mount Holyoke College, experimented with genre in her 2018 book "The Obligated Self...
The Flying House of Loreto and the Growth of Catholicism with Karin Vélez
17 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Karin Vélez explains how the 12th century myth of the flying house of Loreto, which tells the story of the home of the Virgin Mary flew away from the...
The Invention of Race in the European Middle Ages with Geraldine Heng
17 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Geraldine Heng discusses the obstacles in conceptualizing race in premodernity and the evidence for racialized thinking in the European medieval perio...
"The Fetish Revisited" with J. Lorand Matory
30 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The construction and use of the fetish framework in European social theory is the focus of J. Lorand Matory's book, "The Fetish Revisited: Marx, Freud...
Jessica Vantine Birkenholtz on the Nepalese Hindu Goddess Svasthani
18 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Jessica Vantine Birkenholtz talks about the textual and limited iconographic history of the mysterious Nepalese Hindu goddess Svasthani. Birkenholtz's...
Religious Studies and the 2020 Election: Tips for Sharing Scholarship with the Public
16 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Webinar recording from June 9, 2020. The discussion focused on how scholars of religion can share work related to the study of religion and this elec...
AAR 2019 - Making a Match: Finding the Right Publisher for Your Work
28 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This session brings together editors from scholarly and trade presses, both large and small, to share their perspectives on the acquisition and editor...
AAR 2019 - The Art of Writing AAR Proposals
21 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Have you been struggling to get proposals accepted to the AAR Annual Meeting? Come to this session to get some tips and ideas about how to better fram...
2019 Martin E. Marty Award for the Public Understanding of Religion Forum: Wade Clark Roof
14 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Wade Clark Roof is the 2019 winner of the Martin E. Marty Award for the Public Understanding of Religion. Having passed away suddenly on August 24, 20...
AAR 2019 - The 50th Anniversary of Black Theology and Black Power: Looking Back, Moving Forward
07 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This session celebrates the 50th Anniversary of James Cone’s Black Theology and Black Power, published March 1, 1969. This panel features prominent ...
AAR 2019 - Conversation with Kate Bowler & Laurie Patton on Becoming a Public Intellectual
30 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
After Kate Bowler’s 2013 book, Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel, became an unexpected public hit, she was diagnosed with stage I...
2019 AAR Presidential Address by Laurie Patton - “And Are We Not of Interest to Each Other?”
23 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A Blueprint for the Public Study of Religion. In addition to its traditional goal of fostering excellence in the academic study of religion, the AAR’...
AAR 2019 - Women and Publishing
16 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Submissions by women to journals and books series, including JAAR, are lower by percentage than the percentage of women in the field of religious stud...
AAR 2019 - Book Panel: "Who Owns Religion?" by Laurie Louise Patton
09 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Laurie L. Patton is 2019 President of the American Academy of Religion, President of Middlebury College, and a scholar of South Asian history and cult...
AAR 2019 - Death to the Term Paper! Building Better Assignments and Assessments
02 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Teaching and Learning Committee facilitates an engaging, hands on workshop, helping participants build assignments that are creative, more plagiar...
2019 AAR Award-Winning Religion Journalists: What We Covered in 2018 and What's Next
27 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The American Academy of Religion presents its annual Journalism Award to recognize outstanding contributions to religion reporting in the previous yea...
AAR 2019 - How to Get Published in Religious Studies Journals
26 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This panel brings together five editors of religious studies journals to discuss the nuts and bolts of journal editing, with the aim of making the pro...
AAR 2019 - Aurora, a New E-Learning Platform: An Information Session with Co-Creator, Maren Wood
13 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
AAR 2019 - Aurora, a New E-Learning Platform: An Information Session with Co-Creator, Maren Wood by American Academy of Religion
AAR 2019 - Career Services for Non-Academic Careers
13 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When humanities scholars talk about exploring and pursuing “alt-ac” and “post-ac” careers, two concerns often dominate the conversation: 1) Gr...
AAR 2019 - Considering Careers and Success outside of Academy: A Book Discussion with Kelly J. Baker
13 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Not every PhD becomes a professor. Some never want to, but a growing number discover too late that there's little room in the academy for them or it's...
AAR 2019 - Presenting at the AAR/SBL Annual Conference Made Easy
13 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Mary E. Hunt has authored guidelines entitled Be Brief, Be Witty, Be Seated for presenting a conference paper that are posted on the AAR website. ...
AAR 2019 - Housing, Health, and Equity: Government as a Site for Intersectional Justice
12 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the face of increasing policy paralysis in Washington, regional and local governments have emerged as critical engines for progress on thorny issue...
AAR 2019 - Preparing Scholars of Religion for Non-Academic Careers: What’s a Faculty Member to Do?
12 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In recent years as the job market for tenure-track academic positions has tightened and the use of contingent faculty has exploded, increasing numbers...
The Aural Experience of the Hagia Sophia with AAR Book Award Winner Bissera Pentcheva
07 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Bissera V. Pentcheva, winner of AAR's 2018 Award for Excellence in Historical Studies for her book "Hagia Sophia: Sound, Space, and Spirit in Byzantiu...
Religion in the Life and Work of Langston Hughes: A Conversation with Wallace Best
10 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Countering the narrative that Langston Hughes was uninterested in religion, scholar and author Wallace Best describes the poet as an "avid and eclecti...
Modernity's Commitment to Reality with Nancy Levene, 2018 AAR Book Award Winner
16 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy Levene, professor of religious studies at Yale University, joins Kristian Petersen in a conversation about her book, Powers of Distinction: On R...
Conversion in America: A conversation with Lincoln Mullen
18 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Lincoln Mullen, author of "The Chance of Salvation: A History of Conversion in America," joins Kristian Petersen in a conversation about the spectrum ...
Career Services for Nonacademic Careers (2019)
07 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When humanities scholars talk about exploring and pursuing “alt-ac” and “post-ac” careers, two concerns often dominate the conversation: 1) Gr...
Contingency Possibilities: Career Options within and beyond the Academy
07 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This joint panel explores ways in which contingency may be constructive (and the ways contingent faculty work can be made more humane and viable) as p...
Beyond the Ivory Tower: Putting Religion Expertise to Work outside the Academy
07 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The panelists in this session showcase the work of current AAR-Luce Religion and International Affairs Fellows. Reflecting on their experiences in a v...
Preparing Scholars of Religion for Nonacademic Careers: What’s a Faculty Member to Do? (2019)
07 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In recent years as the job market for tenure-track academic positions has tightened and the use of contingent faculty has exploded, increasing numbers...
Seeing the Myth in Human Rights with author Jenna Reinbold
28 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Jenna Reinbold, winner of the 2018 Award for Excellence in the Study of Religion in the category of Analytical-Descriptive Studies, discusses her book...
Considering the Sudanese Islamic State with Noah Salomon
17 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Noah Salomon, author of "For Love of the Prophet: An Ethnography of Sudan's Islamic State" (Princeton University Press, 2016) and winner of AAR's 2017...
Faculty Members on Preparing Scholars of Religion for Non-academic Careers
14 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In recent years as the job market for tenure-track academic positions has tightened and the use of contingent faculty has exploded, increasing numbers...
Populism through the Lens of Religion and Race
24 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This discussion explores the impact of religion and race on American populism across the ideological spectrum. Papers explore the interplay of religio...
Protecting the Vulnerable on Campus - Academic Labor, LGBTIQ Persons, and Grad Students
10 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
For many of us who study or work in colleges and seminary campuses today it may be easy to ignore the vulnerable at our institutions. Yet the most vul...
2017 Plenary Address: Deval Patrick
03 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Deval Patrick is a politician, civil rights lawyer and businessman who served as the 71st governor of Massachusetts from 2007 to 2015. He is the only ...
2017 Marty Forum: Winnifred Fallers Sullivan
26 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Winnifred Fallers Sullivan is the recipient of the 2017 Martin E. Marty Award for the Public Understanding of Religion. Sullivan is professor and chai...
Recolonizing the Academy Under a Trump Presidency
19 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This panel analyzes the intensified colonization of academic spaces—both intellectual and physical—under the current presidency. How do we accurat...
Another Plan “A”: Religious Studies and Careers Beyond the Academy
12 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Worried about the job market? Thinking that a career in higher ed no longer matches your interests and goals? Or just wondering about options? The Ame...
Lena Salaymeh on Critiques and New Directions in Studying Islamic Legal Traditions
05 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Lena Salaymeh joins Religious Studies News to talk about her 2017 AAR award-winning book, "The Beginnings of Islamic Law: Late Antique Islamicate Lega...
Inside the State Department: Scholars Reflect on Working for the Government
29 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What's it like to work in the US Department of State? How is academic knowledge about religion practical to public policymakers? What are the ethical ...
2017 Annual Meeting Plenary: Linda Sarsour
22 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Linda Sarsour is a working woman, racial justice and civil rights activist, and mother of three. Ambitious, outspoken and independent, Linda shatters ...
Reformation and Reformations
15 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The Reformed Theology and History Group and the Martin Luther and the Global Lutheran Traditions Group host a joint panel on the meaning of 'Reformati...
Religion on Television: Production, Positives and Perils/Pitfalls
01 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This panel is on the different approaches scholars of religion are taking in presenting religion and the study of religion to a wider audience on tele...
Career Services for Nonacademic Careers
22 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
When humanities scholars talk about exploring and pursuing "alt-ac" and "post-ac" careers, two concerns often dominate the conversation: 1) Graduate s...
Existentialism, Authenticity, and Asceticism with Noreen Khawaja
15 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Noreen Khawaja talks to Religious Studies News about her book "The Religion of Existence: Asceticism in Philosophy from Kierkegaard to Sartre" (Univer...
2017 AAR Presidential Address - Eddie Glaude: Religion and the Most Vulnerable
08 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Eddie S. Glaude Jr. is the William S. Tod Professor of Religion and African American Studies at Princeton University. He is chair of the Department of...
"Goddess and God in the World": An Embodied Theological Conversation
21 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Taking off from their new book, Goddess and God in the World: Conversations in Embodied Theology (Fortress, 2016), Carol P. Christ and Judith Plaskow ...
Black Liberation Theologies of Disability
08 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Building upon a 2015 conference on Black Liberation Theologies of Disability at Union Theological Seminary, organized by Kendrick Kemp, this session a...
Writing Religion Online: Scholars and Journalists in Conversation (SBLAAR16)
24 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Over the past decade there has been an explosion of online religion writing. New publications continue to emerge and, with them, new kinds of writing ...
Religious Difference in a Secular Age: A Minority Report Roundtable Discussion
17 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
An Author-Meets-Critics Roundtable Session discussing Saba Mahmood’s recently published book, "Religious Difference in a Secular Age: A Minority Rep...
2016 Plenary Address: Michelle Alexander with Kelly Brown Douglas
03 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Michelle Alexander is a highly acclaimed civil rights lawyer, advocate, and legal scholar. Alexander is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and Stanfo...
Religion, Immigration, and Politics: North American and European Perspectives
27 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
AM 2016: This panel provides some comparative insights on the current situation in Europe alongside experiences in the USA, exploring how religion is ...
Fatemeh Keshavarz: Unsilencing the Sacred – Poetic Conversations with the Divine
20 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
AAR's 2016 American Lectureship in the History of Religions was held by Iranian academic and poet Fatemeh Keshavarz, who at this session at the 2016 A...
Reclaiming the Radical Revolutionary: Celebrating Obery Hendricks' "The Politics of Jesus"
13 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
To commemorate and celebrate the ten year anniversary of Obery Hendricks' "The Politics of Jesus: Rediscovering the True Revolutionary Nature of Jesus...
2016 Presidential Address: Serene Jones on Revolutionary Love
06 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Serene Jones was the 2016 president of the American Academy of Religion and the sixteenth President of the historic Union Theological Seminary in the ...
Father J. Bryan Hehir: 2016 Martin E. Marty Award for the Public Understanding of Religion Forum
30 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
J. Bryan Hehir was the 2016 recipient of the Martin E. Marty Award for the Public Understanding of Religion. Hehir is the Parker Gilbert Montgomery Pr...
Preparing Scholars for Nonacademic Careers: What's a Faculty Member to Do?
21 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
A companion to our last episode, which focused on what students can do to prepare for nonacademic careers, this podcast highlights how religious studi...
Preparing for a Nonacademic Career: What's a Scholar to Do?
08 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Worried about the job market? Thinking that a career in higher ed no longer matches your interests and goals? Or just wondering about options? The pan...
Revolutions of Love: The Politics and Flesh of Religion
01 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The presidential theme of the 2016 AAR Annual Meeting was "Revolutionary Love." The concept draws from various themes, traditions, and ideas. In this ...
Bhrigupati Singh on Questions of Secularity, Religion, and Quality of Life in Rural India
25 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Bhrigupati Singh, assistant professor of anthropology at Brown University, speaks about how his examination of the Sahariyas, a tribe living in extrem...
2016 AM: Cornel West's Neglected Contribution to the Pragmatist Canon
18 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Cornel West argues that pragmatism is the ideal philosophical view to address the ways in which ideas like race, gender and class are produced and red...
AM 2016 Plenary Address: Julián Castro
28 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Julián Castro, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Barack Obama, speaks on housing, his childhood, and political action...
AM 2016: Love and Hate in American Religion
13 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This panel, comprised of leading theological voices working across traditions and communities, will explore manifestations of "the hatreds of our day,...
AM 2016: What’s Love Got to Do with It? Critical Appraisals of Love as a Civic Value
06 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Taking up the AAR's 2016 plenary theme of "Revolutionary Love," participants in this session join a conversation addressing concerns with Christian pr...
AAR AM: Roundtable on Religion, Race, and the 2016 Elections
30 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This session was organized for the 2016 AAR Annual Meeting as a roundtable discussion between authors of recent major books that address issues of rel...
Christians and Zoroastrians in Ancient Iran – Richard E. Payne
23 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In the Zoroastrian Empire of Iran during late antiquity, what were the limits of Christian identity? Richard E. Payne, Neubauer Family Assistant Profe...
Francis J. Beckwith on Reason, Faith, and Beliefmaking
09 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Francis J. Beckwith, professor of philosophy & church-state studies at Baylor University, discusses how we form complex beliefs and if the difference ...
How Repentance Became Biblical: An Interview with David Lambert
22 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
David A. Lambert talks to Religious Studies News about his book How Repentance Became Biblical: Judaism, Christianity, and the Interpretation of Scrip...
Christianity in the Kingdom of Kongo: An Interview with Cécile Fromont
22 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In 1491, the king of the west central African kingdom of Kongo was baptized as a Christian by Portuguese missionaries, and in so doing, he ushered a u...