Geographies of Religious Change in Latin America

Dr Elizabeth Olson

Latin America has witnessed a significant change in religious composition, and scholars have been working to understand the meanings of this change upon the lives, politics, and economies of people and communities. Religious pluralism has been lined with a range of other social processes, including changing conceptions of race, gender, and ‘progress’. However, there is still very little known about the geographies of religious change in South and Central America. Preliminary research suggests that patterns of religious distribution are not random or serendipitous, but are instead linked to historical and contemporary factors such as state perceptions toward religious pluralism, violent conflict, and intra-religious organization.

This project would explore the foundations and makings of these new religious geographies in Peru, Guatemala, Ecuador or Bolivia. It may also contribute to more rigorous explorations of transnational religious networks by tracing the relationships between religious movements which transcend state borders.

Applications for this research proposal or other research interests focusing on emerging religious landscapes in Andean states are invited from students with backgrounds in human geography, Latin American Studies, or other related disciplines in the social sciences. The student will receive research training in human geography and will be supported in the development of appropriate language skills.