Wesleyan Assistant Professor of Religion and Philosophy Karen Bray was recently named an Emerging Scholar for the Project on Religion and Its Publics based at the Virginia Center for the Study of Religion at the University of Virginia.
Bray, along with other early career scholars, was selected to participate in a residency workshop in Charlottesville, VA, this summer. The scholars will undertake focused readings, share work, and plan collaborations on academic projects of mutual interest.
The Project on Religion and Its Publics is a multi-year initiative dedicated to bridging the gap between the academic study of religion and public conversations about religion. It brings together scholars from across the United States and multiple disciplines in order to nurture scholarship and shape discussions of broad relevance to the world.
"I hope to build relationships with other scholars working at the intersections of religious studies and the public good, to begin collaborative publishing projects on religion and the public good, and to return to Wesleyan with ideas for both research and community projects that will help students connect what we study in the classroom to their service in the larger world," said Bray.
Bray's research areas have included continental philosophy of religion; feminist, critical race, queer, and political theories and theologies; and exploring how secular institutions and cultures behave theologically.
The selected emerging scholars will support the work of Religion and Its Publics through academic and journalistic publications.