萝莉社

I am a historian of religion in the Americas with training in Latinx history; American race, ethnicity, and immigration; and the American West/Mexico borderlands. My scholarship on Mexican farmworkers in California (1906-1966) is based on oral histories and extensive archival research I've conducted. It also draws from the fields of immigration history, material culture, and scholarship on Pentecostalism and Catholicism. My more recent and ongoing research on the Sanctuary Movement (1980s to present day) brings together questions from religious history and immigration studies to understand the context of social activism and politics.

My teaching incorporates these research topics but more broadly asks questions about the many communities that comprise "American Religion." I'm also deeply curious about ideas regarding the end of the world, the history of Evangelicalism, and immigration studies. As a first-generation college student and son of Mexican immigrants, I wholeheartedly enjoy teaching, mentoring, and publishing with students from all backgrounds. I received excellent mentorship as both an undergraduate and graduate student and only wish to offer the same to 萝莉社 students. If you would like to know more about courses in the Religion Department and/or Latinx and Latin American Studies, come by, and let鈥檚 chat!

Education

Ph.D. American Studies, University of Michigan (2016)
M.A. American Studies, University of Michigan (2011) 
B.A. History, Religion, University of the Pacific (2009) 

Selected Publications

Book:

(Oxford University Press, 2022;  paperback 2023)

-Winner 2024 Manfred Lautenschlaeger Award 

-Winner 2024 Pneuma Book Award for Best Book in the Study of Pentecostalism 

-Reviewed in ; ;

A Refuge of Resistance: A History of the US Sanctuary Movement  (under contract with Oxford University Press)

Cesar Chavez: A Catholic Social Prophet  (under contract with Oxford University Press)

Edited Collections:

, edited by Lloyd D. Barba, Andrea Shan Johnson, and Daniel Ram铆rez (Penn State University Press, 2023)

, edited by Lloyd D. Barba (Bloomsbury, forthcoming August 2024)

Sacred Refuge: New Histories of the U.S. Sanctuary Movement, edited by Lloyd D. Barba and Sergio M. Gonz谩lez (under contract with New York University Press)

A Place of Their Own: Religion and Immigration Among Latinos in the United States,  edited by Lloyd D. Barba, Silvia Pedraza, and Jo茫o Chaves (under contract with Oxford University Press)

Articles and Chapters:

鈥淩eview Essay - Rooted in Justice: Framing Latinx Religious History Across Las Am茅ricas鈥� Journal of the American Academy of Religion (forthcoming)

鈥淪acred Motherhood in the Sanctuary Movement: Marian Imagery and the Family Fight for Immigrant Justice鈥� in Religion in the Americas: Transcultural and Trans-hemispheric Approaches, eds. Chris Tirres and Jessica Delgado (co-authored with Tatyana Castillo-Ramos) (University of New Mexico Press, forthcoming)

鈥淚ntroduction to Latin American and U.S. Latino Religions in North America鈥� , edited by Lloyd D. Barba (Bloomsbury, forthcoming August 2024), 1-41.

鈥淕uadalupe Represents La Cultura: A Mexican-American Mural-Shrine in California鈥�, eds., Karen Park and Katherine Dugan (Fordham University Press, 2024), 44-66. 

鈥淒ust, Dreams, and Discipline: Okies and the Transformation of Pentecostalism in California鈥� in , eds. Lloyd Barba, Andrea Shan Johnson, and Daniel Ram铆rez (Penn State University Press, 2023), 113-141.

"Salvadoran Religious Transnationalism," , (16:11-12) (December 2022), co-authored with Ana Vieytez

鈥淟atina/o Pentecostalism鈥� in the (Oxford University Press, 2022), 130-150.

鈥淧entecostalism鈥檚 Instrumental Faith and Alternative Power: Cesar Ch谩vez and Reies L贸pez Tijerina Among Pentecostal Farmworkers 1954-1956鈥� in eds. Felipe Hinojosa, Sergio Gonzalez, and Maggie Elmore (New York University Press, 2022), 121-44.

鈥淟atinx Legacies and Leadership in the U.S. Sanctuary Movement 1980-2020鈥�   (3:1) (Fall 2021): 1-24, co-authored with Tatyana Castillo-Ramos.

鈥淟atinx Christianities in North America,鈥� Main Article, (Bloomsbury, 2021; paperback 2024), 159-176. 

鈥淏orderlands Believers: Migrant Laborers and the Growth of Pentecostalism from Los Angeles鈥� in , eds., Diane Winston and Richard Flory (Routledge, 2021), 58-73.

鈥淐apturing the Church Familia: Scriptural Documents and Photographs on the Agricultural Labor Circuit鈥� in eds., Ana Ramos-Zayas and M茅rida Rua (New York University Press, 2021), 457-475

鈥淭he Borderlands Aesthetics of Mexican-American Pentecostalism鈥� in  eds., Kathryn Reklis and Sarah Covington (Routledge, 2020), 252-264

鈥淭rump鈥檚 Wall: A Monument of (Un)Civil Religion鈥� Material and Visual Cultures of Religion hosted by Yale University Press (September 2019), online; 6,685 words

"Sacred Resistance: The Sanctuary Movement From Reagan to Trump,"  16 (2019): 11-36, co-authored with Tatyana Castillo-Ramos

 ----Also published in Spanish in the issue as: 鈥淩esistencia Sagrada: El Movimiento Santuario desde Reagan a Trump鈥� pp. 38-66.

鈥�The New Issue: Approaches to Oneness Pentecostalism,"  (12:11) (November 2018) co-authored with Andrea Johnson

鈥淔armworker Frames: 础辫辞蝉迟贸濒颈肠辞 Counter Narratives in California鈥檚 Valleys,鈥�  (86:3) (September 2018): 691-723.

鈥淢ore Spirit in that Little Madera Church: Cesar Chavez and Borderlands Religious Soundscapes 1954-1966,鈥�  (94:1); (Spring 2017): 26-42

鈥淛esus Would Be Jim Crowed: Bishop Robert Lawson on Race and Religion in the Harlem Renaissance,鈥�  (6:3); (2015): 1-32

Public Scholarship:

Publications:

"Pilgrimage and revolution: How Cesar Chavez married faith and ideology in landmark farmworkers' march"  (March 28, 2023)

鈥淲hat is Pentecostal Christianity?鈥� (January 6, 2023)

鈥�The theology that has motivated one pastor to keep holding in-person services: And why it鈥檚 time to reverse course鈥� (March 24, 2020 (co-authored with Andrea Johnson, Daniel Ram铆rez, and Roy Fisher)

鈥淓vangelicals and Pentecostals Must Do More to Help Immigrants鈥� (June 25, 2018) (co-authored with Arlene Sanchez-Walsh)

鈥淎n America Past Time: Latina/o Pentecostals and the 11/9 Election鈥� (December 12, 2016) 

Media Consultations:

鈥淣ot only Catholic churches celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe鈥� (December 12, 2022)

鈥淲hat does being a sanctuary city mean? What does Cape Cod offer? Here's information鈥� (September 26, 2022)

鈥淔lorida Megachurch Pastor Tells Evangelical Congregants Not To Take COVID-19 Vaccine鈥� (December 9. 2020)

鈥淧astor Flouting Stay-At-Home Order Remains Defiant After Parishioner鈥檚 Death鈥� (April 17, 2020)

鈥淗ow Reddit is helping ex-La Luz del Mundo members cope with life after the church鈥� (March 4, 2020)

鈥淭rump launches 鈥楨vangelicals for Trump鈥� by visiting megachurch led by a Latino pastor鈥� (January 3, 2020)

Courses

-Latinx Religion

-Latinx Religion and Immigration

-The Sanctuary Movement: Religion, Activism, and Social Contestation -see course website:

-Race and Religion in the U.S. West/Mexico Borderlands

-Evangelical Christianity    

-Introduction to Comparative Religion: The End of the World (Judaism and Christianity)

-Introduction to Religion: Comparative Texts and Contexts (Islam and Christianity)

-American Religious Traditions: A History of Communities and Their Scriptures

-Religion on the Move: Religion and Migration in North America

-The 鈥淪tuff鈥� of U.S. Religion: Visual and Material Approaches

- Latinx Immigrant Rights (Special Topics Seminar)

-Salvadoran Transnational Cultures (Special Topics Seminar)

Selected Awards and Fellowships

Young Scholars of American Religion Program (2022-2024) 

Mormonism and Mexico: A Case Study in Religion and the Borderlands Summer Institute, National Endowment for the Humanities (2022 participant)

Teaching and Learning Workshop for Early Career Latinx Religion Faculty, Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion (2020-2021)

Louisville Institute's First Book Grant for Minority Scholars (2018-2019)

C3 Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship, Latina/o Studies and Religion, Williams College (2016-2017)

Selected Conference Presentations

"'An Historic and Hallowed Principle in Religious Life:' The Usable Histories of the 1980s Sanctuary Movement,"  American Historical Association, American Society of Church History, annual conference, January 4-7, 2024

"Other Side of the Mountains: Book Panel on Retelling American Religious History from Agricultural California," American Academy of Religion, San Antonio, TX, November 18-21, 2023.  

"Mapping Churches: Mexican Pentecostalism and Industrial Agriculture 1916-1966," American Society for Church History, annual conference, January 5-8, 2023.

"Christian Experimentation in 20th Century Los Angeles" (roundtable convener and participant), American Society for Church History, annual conference, January 5-8, 2023.

"Migration, Creativity, and Labor: New Books in Religions in the Latina/o Americas" (Book panel featuring ) American Academy of Religion, Denver, CO, November 19-22, 2022.

"New Directions in the Study of the Sanctuary Movement" (roundtable convener and participant), American Academy of Religion, Denver, CO, November 19-22, 2022.

"The Acts of the 础辫辞蝉迟贸濒颈肠辞s: Scripturalizing Healing Narratives in the Early Mexican Pentecostal Movement" Western History Association, annual conference, San Antonio, TX, October 12-15, 2022.

"Pentecostals and the Farm Worker Movement" (roundtable participant) Western History Association, annual conference, San Antonio, TX, October 12-15, 2022.

"Migrating Faith in Photos鈥� American Society for Church History, annual conference, New Orleans, LA, January 6-9, 2022.

鈥淟a Migra No Profana El Santuario: Latinx Sanctuary Movement Leaders in the Age of Trump鈥� American Academy of Religion, annual conference, San Diego, CA, November 22-26, 2019 (co-presented with Tatyana Castillo-Ramos).

鈥淯nwrapping History: Women and the Maturation of Mexican-American Pentecostal Churches in America鈥� American Historical Association, annual meeting, Chicago, IL, January 3-6, 2019.

"Temples Made with Hands: Mexican Pentecostal Women and the Construction of Farmworker Temples in the Central Valley" Organization of American Historians, annual meeting, Sacramento, CA, April 12-14, 2018.

鈥淭hrough the Lens of the Subaltern: Mexican-Pentecostal Narratives and Church Family Photographs鈥� American Academy of Religion, annual conference, Boston, MA, November 18-21, 2017.

鈥淩eforming Chicanas/os and Christians: Pentecostals and the Pursuit of El Valle De Paz鈥� American Society for Church History, annual conference, Denver, CO, January 5-8, 2017.

鈥淭he Dust District: Cosmopolitan and Okie Pentecostal Convergence in California鈥� The American Academy of Religion, annual conference, San Antonio, TX, November 19-22, 2016.

鈥淓st茅ticas Apost贸licas en la Fronteriza鈥� (translation: Apostolic Aesthetics in the Borderlands) Red de Investigadores del Fen贸meno Religioso en M茅xico, annual conference, Universidad Aut贸noma Metropolitana, M茅rida, Yucat谩n, April 15-17, 2015.

鈥淒ust and Denominations: Pentecostalism and Migration in Farm Labor Communities of California鈥檚 Valleys 1917-1964鈥� American Society for Church History 鈥揈cclesiastical History Society joint conference, Oxford, England, April 3-5, 2014.

鈥淔aith with Works: Cesar Chavez鈥檚 Religious Image鈥� National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies 40^th Annual Conference, Chicago, IL, March 14-17, 2012.

Scholarly Activities

Council Member, American Society of Church History, (elected)

Editorial Board, American Religion 

Co-chair the History of Christianity unit of the American Academy of Religion (AAR)

Steering committee member of the Latina/o Religion, Culture, and Society unit of the AAR

Bloomsbury Religion in North America Advisory Board

Peer reviewer for various academic journal articles, books, and proposals

Consultant for archival collections on Latin American and Latina/o religious figures and organizations.