David Shefferman

Affiliated Faculty, Religious Studies

Courses Taught

RELS 110      The Nature and Experience of Religion
RELS 300      Religion and Spanish Identity
RELS 337      The American Religious Experience
RELS 359      Afro-Caribbean Religions
RELS 376      Religion and the Media
RELS 377      Religion and Environmentalism

  • Research

    Prof. Shefferman specializes in the history of religion in the Americas.  He focuses especially on popular discourses about Afro-Caribbean traditions during the twentieth century as well as intersections of religion and popular culture in North America.  Other interests include:  theory and method in the study of religion; Latin American literary and cultural production; religion and virtual culture; and religion and environmentalism.

  • Publications and Scholarly Activities

    The Bible and American Culture: A Sourcebook, with Claudia Setzer (London & NY: Routledge, 2011).

    "Santeria," in Shamanism:  An Encyclopedia of World Beliefs, Practices, and Cultures, Eva Fridman and Mariko Walter, eds. (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC Clio, 2004).

    Professor Shefferman is currently working on Fictions of Santeria,
    a study of popular representations about and within the Afro-Cuban traditions during a variety of historical and cultural contexts.