Curriculum
Vitae
320
Brighton Avenue
Swarthmore,
PA 19081
(610)
543-6734 - work
(610)
328-8041 - home
EDUCATION
Ph.D.,
Princeton University, Religious Studies, 1994
M.T.S.,
Harvard Divinity School, Theological Studies, 1986
B.A., Mount
Holyoke College, Religion and Political Science, 1982
PROFESSIONAL
EXPERIENCE
Professor,
Swarthmore College, Department of Religion
Associate
Professor, Swarthmore College, Department of Religion, 1999-2007
Assistant
Professor, Swarthmore College, Department of Religion, 1993-1999
Five-College
Faculty Fellow, Amherst College, Department of Religion, 1991-1992
Teaching
Assistant/Preceptor, Department of Religion, Princeton University, 1989-91
PUBLICATIONS
Books:
Black
Magic: African American Religion and the Conjuring Tradition,
University of California Press, 2003.
Black
Zion: African American Religions and Judaism, edited with Nathaniel
Deutsch, Oxford University Press, 1999.
Articles
and book chapters:
ÒAfrican
American Hoodoo and Traditions of HealingÓ in Linda Barnes and Susan Sered,
editors, Faith, Health, and Healing in African American Life, Praeger
Publishers, forthcoming, 2008
"Conjuring
Scriptures and Engendering Healing Traditions" in Vincent Wimbush, editor,
Theorizing Scriptures: New Critical Orientations to a Cultural Phenomenon, Rutgers
University Press, forthcoming, 2008
ÒBlack
HermanÕs African American Magical Synthesis,Ó Cabinet 26, Summer
2007
ÒThe Body
as Menagerie: Sickness and African American Hoodoo Narratives,Ó Council of
Societies for the Study of Religion Bulletin, February 2007
ÒVarieties of Spiritual
Experience: Magic, Occultism, and Alternative Supernatural Traditions among
African Americans in the Cities, 1915-1939,Ó in Gayle Tate, ed., Black
Urban Community: From Dusk till Dawn, Palgrave-Macmillan, 2006
ÒFuture
Trajectories for Research and Inquiry: African Diasporic WomenÕs Healing
Traditions,Ó ISRCAD Colloquium Transactions #2, Notre
Dame University, Winter 2005
"Religion
and Supernaturalism,Ó in Paul Harvey and Philip Goff, eds., Themes in
Religion and American Culture, University of North Carolina Press, 2004
ÒThe Bible
and African American FolkloreÓ in Vincent Wimbush, ed., African Americans
and the Bible: Sacred Texts and Social Textures, New
York: Continuum Press, 2000
ÒRoundtable:
Feminist Theology, Religiously Diverse Neighborhood or Christian Ghetto?Ó in Journal
of Feminist Studies in Religion 16, No. 2, Fall 2000
ÒProphetess
of the Spirits,Ó in Beverly Kienzle and Pamela Walker, eds., Voices of the
Spirit: Women Preachers and Prophets in Christianity from Its Origins Through
the Twentieth Century, Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998
ÒConjure
and Christianity in the Nineteenth Century: Religious Elements in
African-American Magic,Ó Religion and American Culture: A Journal of Interpretation 7, Summer 1997
ÒUses of
the Supernatural: Toward a History of Black WomenÕs Magical Practices,Ó in
Susan Juster and Lisa MacFarlane, eds., A Mighty Baptism: Race, Gender and
the Creation of American Protestantism, Cornell University Press, 1996
ÒHidden
Traditions: Black Religion, Magic and Alternative Spiritual Beliefs in Womanist
Perspective,Ó Journal of the Interdenominational Theological Center, Spring,
1995, reprinted in Jacqueline Grant, ed., Perspectives on Womanist Theology, Black
Church Scholars Series VII, ITC Press, 1995
ÒFolk
Religion,Ó in Jack Salzman, David Lionel Smith, and Cornel West, eds., The
Columbia Encyclopedia of African American Culture and History,
Macmillan Publishing Co., 1995
Book
Reviews:
African
American Folk Healing, by Stephanie Y. Mitchem, (New York University Press,
2007) Church History, forthcoming, 2008
Santeria:
Correcting the Myths and Uncovering the Realities of a Growing Religion, by
Mary Ann Clark, (Praeger
Publishers, 2007) Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Winter 2007
Creole
Religions of the Caribbean: An Introduction from Vodou and Santeria to Obeah
and Espiritismo, by Margarite Fernandez Olmos and Lizabeth Paravisini-Gebert,
(New York University Press, 2003) Church History, September 2006
Conjure
in African American Society, by Jeffrey E. Anderson, (Louisiana State University Press, 2005), Journal of
Southern History,
Winter 2006
James
BaldwinÕs God: Sex, Hope and Crisis in Black Holiness Culture, by Clarence
Hardy III, (University of Tennessee Press, 2003) Church History, December 2005
Righteous
Content: Black Women's Perspectives of Church and Faith,
by Daphne
Wiggins (New York University Press, 2005), Choice, June
2005
Queering
Creole Spiritual Traditions, by Randy Conner and David Hatfield,
Sparks
(Harrington Park Press, 2003), Nova Religio, Spring
2005
Voodoo
Queen: The Spirited Lives of Marie Laveau, by Martha Ward,
History, Fall
2004
The Black
Church in the Post-Civil Rights Era by Anthony Pinn, (Orbis Books, 2002) Choice, November
2002
A Separate
Canaan: The Making of an Afro-Moravian World in North Carolina, 1763-1840, by
Jon Sensbach, (University of North Carolina Press, 1998) Journal of Southern
Religion 1, January 1998
African-American
Religion: Interpretive Essays in History and Culture, by Timothy E. Fulop and
Albert J. Raboteau (Routledge, 1996) Religious Studies Review, Notes on
Recent Publications, October, 1997
African-American
Holiness Pentecostal Movement: An Annotated Bibliography, by Sherry Sherrod
DuPree (Garland Publishing, 1996), Church History,
September, 1997.
Words of
Fire: An Anthology of African-American Feminist Thought, by Beverly
Guy-Shefthall (The Free Press, 1995), Georgia Historical Quarterly, Fall 1996
The Sermon
and the African-American Literary Imagination, by Dolan Hubbard (University of
Missouri Press, 1994), African-American Review 30, Fall 1996
Conversions
and Visions in the Writings of African-American Women, by Kimberly Rae Connor
(University of Tennessee Press, 1994), Journal of the American Academy of
Religion, Fall 1996
African
American Islam, by Aminah Beverly McCloud (Routledge, 1995), Religious
Studies Review, Notes on Recent Publications, October 1995
Working
the Spirit: Ceremonies of the African Diaspora, by Joseph Murphy (Beacon Press,
1994) Religious Studies Review, Notes on Recent Publications,
October 1995
Media:
Taboo,
Television series, National Geographic Television, consultant and guest
commentator, ÒVoodoo,Ó air date October 21, 2002, National Geographic Channel
Taboo,
Television series, National
Geographic Television, consultant and guest commentator, ÒTests of Faith,Ó air
date February 14, 2003, National
Geographic Channel
Been
There, Done That, National Public Radio, guest author, air date March
27, 2004, WHYY, Philadelphia
GRANTS,
HONORS AND AWARDS
Swarthmore
College sabbatical grant, 2004-2005
Mellon
Trico Fellowship seed grant, 2004-2005
American
Academy of Religion Individual Research Grant, 2000
Affiliate
Research Grant, The Pluralism Project, Harvard University, 1998
Fellow,
NEH Summer Institute, University of Virginia, 1998
Mellon
Tri-College Collaborative Curricular Initiative Grant, 1997-1998
Affiliate
Fellow, Center for the Study of American Religion, Princeton University,
1996-1997
Faculty
Research Grant, Swarthmore College, 1995-present
Faculty
Fellowship, Pew Program in Religion and American History, Yale University,
1996-1997
Faculty
Innovation Grant for Electronic Education Access in the Future (FIGLEAF),
Swarthmore College, 1996
Mary Lyon
Award, Alumnae Association, Mount Holyoke College, 1996
Finalist,
Emerging Scholars Award, American Academy of University Women, 1996
Fellow,
Young Scholars in American Religion, Center for the Study of American Religion,
Indiana-Purdue University, 1995-1996
Charlotte
Newcombe Dissertation Fellowship, 1993
Amherst
College, Five-College Fellowship, 1991-92
Class of
1905 Dissertation Fellow, Mount Holyoke College, 1992
Fund for
Theological Education Dissertation Grant, 1991
Mellon
Research Travel Grant for study in Havana, Cuba, 1990
Princeton
University Graduate Fellowship, 1988
PROFESSIONAL
ACTIVITIES
Conferences,
panels and invited lectures
American
Academy of Religion, November 2007, ÒAfrican American Folk Healing,Ó panel
discussion
Fall Term
Lecture Series, Center for the Humanities, Wesleyan University, November 2006,
ÒThe Natural, the Unnatural and the SupernaturalÓ
ÒPassionately
Human, No Less Divine,Ó panelist/respondent, Harvard Divinity School, March
2006
Guest
speaker, Harvard Program in Religion and Secondary Education, November 2005,
ÒNew Developments in Religious Studies,Ó American Academy of Religion Annual
meetings
American
Academy of Religion, November 2005, ÒThe Body as Menagerie: Tales of Spiritual
InfestationÓ
Society
for the Study of Black Religion, March 2005, ÒTwenty Years after Slave
ReligionÓ
Slavery in
America Series, Camden County College, February 2005, ÒAfrican American
Religion and the Sacred World of the EnslavedÓ
Radical
Transformations: Religion, Ethics, Politics Conference, University of Richmond,
April, 2004, ÒVoodoo and the Negotiations of Lived ExperienceÓ
Conference
on Theorizing Scriptures, Institute for Signifying Scriptures, Claremont Graduate
University, February, 2004, ÒPractices and PractitionersÓ
Conference
on Women and Religion in America, Re-imagining the Past, University of Chicago,
October, 2003, ÒThe Circle of Culture: African American Slave Women and
ReligionÓ
Women,
Religion and the African Diaspora Conference, Notre Dame University, September,
2001, ÒWomen and African-based Healing TraditionsÓ
African
Americans and the Bible Conference, Union Theological Seminary, April
1999, ÒThe Bible and African
American FolkloreÓ
American
Society of Church History, Annual Meeting, January 1998, ÒMagical Ministries:
Healing Traditions in African-American Conjure and PentecostalismÓ
Respondent,
Pew Conference on Women and Twentieth-Century Protestantism, April 1998
Participant,
Research Seminar, ÒAfrican Cultures in Cuba,Ó The Eleggua Project, Santiago de
Cuba, January 1997
Pew
Conference on Religion and American History, Yale University, December 1997,
ÒThe Rise of Magic in Black AmericaÓ
Association
for the Study of Afro-American Life and History, Annual Meeting, October 1996,
ÒSupernatural Harming: Negro ÔPoisonÕ and MaleficiaÓ
National
Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute, ÒReligion in America,Ó Visiting
Lecturer, Haverford College, June, 1996
Panelist, Berkshire Conference on
the History of Women, June, 1996
American
Society of Church History, Annual Meeting, January 1996, ÒTransforming Tradition: Contested Practices in
African American Religion after EmancipationÓ
Rutgers
University, Center for Historical Analysis, November 1995, ÒProphetess of the
Spirits: Leaf Anderson and the Black Spiritual ChurchesÓ
Panelist,
Afro-American Religious History Group, American Academy of Religion, November,
1995
American
Academy of Religion, November 1994,
ÒA Womanist Interpretation of Black Sacred LifeÓ
Department
of Religion, Visiting Lecturer, Oberlin College, November, 1994
Department
of Religion, Visiting Lecturer, Franklin and Marshall College, February, 1994
Berkshire Conference on the History of
Women, June 1993, "Toward a
History of Black Female Religious and Magical Empowerment"
Guest
Presenter, Harvard Divinity School Church History Colloquium, January, 1993
American
Studies Association Graduate Student Conference, October 1992, "Two-Headed
Doctors and Hoodoos: Conjure as
Afro-American Religion"
Northeastern
Regional American Academy of Religion Conference, Barnard College, March
1991, "Black Magic or
Religion? Some Afro-American Folk Beliefs"
Sessions
Organized and Chaired:
Co-Chair,
Signifying on Scriptures Consultation, American Academy of Religion, November
2005
Session
Chair, Women, Religion and the African Diaspora Conference, Princeton
University, April 2004
Session
Chair, African American Religious History Group, American Academy of Religion,
November, 1999
Session
Chair, Tribute to Professor Charles Long, American Academy of Religion,
November, 1997
Session
Chair, African Religions Group, American Academy of Religion, November, 1997
Chair,
Northeastern Seminar on the Study of Black Religion, Union Theological Seminary, 1995-1996
Chair,
Northeastern Seminar on the Study of Black Religion, Princeton University,
1995-1996
Session
Organizer, American Society of Church History, January, 1998
Session
Chair, Tribute to Professor Preston Williams, Harvard Divinity
School,
October, 1995
SERVICE
Professional
memberships:
Member,
American Academy of Religion, 1993-present
Co-Chair,
Northeastern Seminar for the Study of Black Religion, 1994-1996
Council
Member, American Society of Church History, 1997-1999
Member,
Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History, 1996-1998
Member,
American Historical Association, 1995-1996
College
committees and presentations:
Faculty
panel, ÒDiscovery Weekend,Ó Swarthmore College, September 2007
Panelist,
ÒReligion and Spirituality on Campus Week,Ó Swarthmore College, February 2007
Lecturer
and panelist, ÒImagine No Religion, Too: Re-envisioning the Future of Religion
in an Age of Conflict,Ó Swarthmore Alumni College, May 2006
Chair,
Equal Opportunity Advisory Committee, 2007-2008
Chair,
Diversity Committee, 2005-2006
Chair,
Department of Religion, 2002-2006
Swarthmore
Writing Program Review Committee, 2004-2005
Co-Chair,
Swarthmore Asian American, Latino, Native American and African Heritage
Concerns Committee, 1998-1999
Chair,
Swarthmore Asian American, Latino, Native American and African Heritage
Concerns Committee, 1999-present
Search
Committee, Dean of the College, 1997-1998
Panelist,
Conference of the Board Chairs, Swarthmore College, September, 1997
Speaker,
Volunteer Leadership Weekend, ÒTechnology in the Classroom,Ó September, 1997
Search
Committee, Associate Provost, 1995-1996
Lang
Scholarship Committee, 1994-1995
Black
Studies Committee, 1994-present
WomenÕs
Studies Committee, 1994-present
Panelist,
ÒZen and the Art of Swat Maintenance,Ó April, 1995
Panelist,
ÒBlack Alumni Weekend,Ó March, 1995
Speaker,
Alumni College, ÒPilgrims, Immigrants and Politicians: Religion, Culture and
Society,Ó May, 1996
Workshop
Facilitator, ÒEducation, Exclusion and Ethics: The Canon in the Classroom,Ó
February, 1996
Facilitator,
Tri-College Summer Institute for Minority Students, Swarthmore College, August,
1996
Other
Service:
Assistant
to the Program Coordinator, Mellon Minority Undergraduate Fellowship Program, Swarthmore
College, 1998-present
Grants
Selection Committee, National Endowment for the Humanities, Summer 2005
Consultant,
Rockefeller Brothers Fund, 1995-1997
Prescreener,
Selection Committee, American Council of Learned Societies Central Fellowship,
1998
Reviewed
manuscripts for: Columbia University Press; New York University Press; Oxford
University Press; Rutgers University Press; University of Tennessee Press
COURSES
Religion
and Human Experience
African
American Religions
Religion
in America
Women and
Religion
Black
Women and Religion in America
African
Religion in the Old and New Worlds
Varieties
of Black Religious Experience (Haverford College)
Folk and
Popular Religion (Seminar)
Afro-Atlantic
Religions (Seminar)
Food and
Religion (Freshman Seminar)
Religion
and the Comics/Visual Culture (independent study)