Lenny Lowe

Associate Professor of Religious Studies

EDUCATION

  • Ph.D. in Religious Studies, Religion in the Americas, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • M.T.S. in the Ancient Mediterranean World, Duke University
  • B.A. Biblical Studies, Kentucky Christian University

RESEARCH INTERESTS

I specialize Black Atlantic traditions, like Haitian Vodou, in which West and Central African traditions have encountered and recombined with Euro-American Christian traditions. For me, these traditions are rich and exciting forms of cultural creativity. They frequently frustrate efforts by scholars to pin down specific religious traditions, and they demonstrate the fluidities, historical and cultural contingencies, and the ultimately bricolage character of what we call “religion.”

COURSES TAUGHT

  • RELS 101: Approaches to Religion
  • RELS 105: Intro to World Religions
  • RELS 210: Theories of Religion
  • RELS 230: The Christian Tradition
  • RELS 250: Religions in America
  • RELS 298: Black Atlantic Religions
  • RELS 360: Myth, Ritual and Symbol
  • RELS 370: Millennialism, Apocalypticism, and Conspiracy in American Religion
  • RELS 450: Senior Seminar
  • RELS 451: Capstone Colloquium
  • HONS 175: Make Believe or Make Belief?
  • HONS 255: Myth, Ritual, and Symbol in the Study of Religion

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

“The Blood of a Pig Has No Power: Lame Selès and the Spirit-Filled History of the Haitian Revolution.” The Journal of Haitian Studies. 2020, Vol. 26 (2), p. 4-30.