A divinity professor with her eye on American celebrity culture brings her fascinating insights on “How to Build an American Religion” to Albion College Thursday, Sept. 22. Phi Beta Kappa Scholar Kathryn Lofton makes this presentation at 7 p.m. in the College’s Bobbitt Visual Arts Center.
Dr. Lofton is the Lex Hixon Professor of Religious Studies and American Studies and professor of history and divinity at Yale University. Her scholarship looks at intersections between religion, capitalism, celebrity, sexuality and the concept of the secular. Her first book, Oprah: The Gospel of an Icon (2011) evaluates the material strategies of contemporary spirituality. Her second book, Consuming Religion (2017) offers a profile of religion and its relationship to consumption through a series of case studies. Recent essays have described the role of religion in documentary film, musical theater, and American popular music. At Yale, Dr. Lofton has worked to strengthen faculty governance and academic freedom through institutional leadership addressing community ethics, diversity and inclusion. She currently serves as Dean of Humanities.
This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Peter Valdina in the religious studies department @ pvaldina@albion.edu.