Religion & Podcasts As Public Engagement
Podcasts have become a tool for scholars to share ideas beyond academic publishing and the classroom. In an era when the traditional methods (books, articles) of engaging the wider public in scholarship and research about religion are fading, podcasts offer an accessible space for broader audiences to engage with the field. This episode of Religion & explores the growth of podcasts designed and led by scholars of religion and considers how these platforms function as public scholarship in a moment of fractured attention and limited opportunities to share knowledge otherwise. What are their promises? Are there downsides and should we be concerned? Join us for a conversation that highlights creativity, accessibility, challenges, and the evolving role of scholars in shaping public discourse about religion.
Host: Andrea Jain
Andrea R. Jain, Ph.D. is Professor of Religious Studies at Indiana University Indianapolis and research affiliate at Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute, editor of the Journal of the American Academy of Religion, and author of Selling Yoga: From Counterculture to Pop Culture (Oxford 2014) and Peace Love Yoga: The Politics of Global Spirituality (Oxford, 2020). She received her doctorate degree in religious studies from Rice University in 2010. Her areas of research include religion and capitalism; global spirituality and modern yoga; gender, sexuality, and religion; and theories of religion.
Andrea's Full BioPanelist: Megan Goodwin
Megan Goodwin is Senior Editor at Religion Dispatches and Nerd-in-Chief at Feral Nerd Consulting. With Ilyse Morgenstein Fuerst, she cohosted and coproduced the award-winning podcast “Keeping It 101: A Killjoy’s Introduction to Religion.” Their most recent book, Religion Is Not Done With You, is now available through Beacon Press.
Megan's Full BioPanelist: Brad Onishi
Brad Onishi is a social commentator, scholar, and co-host of the Straight White American Jesus podcast. He founded Axis Mundi Media in 2023 in order to provide a platform for research-based podcasts focused on safeguarding democracy from the threats of extremism and authoritarianism. Onishi is a frequent guest on national radio, podcast, and television outlets, including “Fresh Air” with Terry Gross and MSNBC. His podcast ranks in the top 50 of Politics shows on Apple’s podcast charts. His book, Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism – And What Comes Next, is available now.
Brad's Full BioPanelist: Chris Stevenson
Chris Stevenson is the co-founder and president of the private, digital-first National Museum of American History. He is also the founder of America’s Quilt of Faith, a civic nonprofit that champions the indispensability of religion to the American experiment in self-government. Chris has a Bachelor of Science in applied physics, Masters of Arts in teaching physics, and a Masters of Science in agricultural engineering. He is the host of the museum’s podcast Religion in the American Experience. Mr. Stevenson is the author of Letters from an American Husband and Father. He lives with his wife and family in Purcellville, Virginia.
Chris' Full BioReligion & Podcasts As Public Engagement Recordings
Religion & Podcasts As Public Engagement was hosted live on Thursday, January 22, via Zoom. Video and audio recordings of this episode are now available on YouTube and major podcast platforms. Watch the video below and use the links to access the Religion & podcast feeds.
Additional Resources
Teaching and Learning Resources
Religion & Podcasts As Public Engagement Resources from Panelists
Andrea Jain: Selling Yoga From Counterculture to Pop Culture by Andrea Jain (2014)
Megan Goodwin: Keeping It 101: A Killjoy’s Introduction to Religion Podcast
Brad Onishi: Straight White American Jesus Podcast
Chris Stevenson: Religion in the American Experience Podcast
Religion &: Center Conversations on the State of Religion and the Current Moment
Religion & is a series of monthly webinars between leading academics and thinkers in multiple fields hosted by the Center to foster critical, interdisciplinary conversations. Each episode, we discuss a topic that looks at the relationship between religion, the pressing issues of current cultural moment, and its impact on the fields we study.
Previous episodes of Religion & can be viewed on our YouTube channel.
A JOURNAL OF INTERPRETATION: This triannual publication explores the interplay between religion and other spheres of American culture.
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