Religion & Future Humans: Featuring Sylvester A. Johnson
Religion &
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,...
info_outline
Religion & the Aftermath of the 2024 Election
Religion &
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...
info_outline
Religion & Islamophobia
Religion &
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...
info_outline
Religion & Antisemitism
Religion &
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...
info_outlineAntisemitism 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.
Learn more about this episode on the Religion & website.