Dr. Brent Crosson

Biography

Brent Crosson is an associate professor focused on the intersections of religion, science, and politics, particularly within the African Diasporas and Caribbean studies. His research explores the contestations and limits of legal power, science, race, and religion across the Americas. His book, Experiments in Power: Obeah and the Remaking of Religion in Trinidad, published by the University of Chicago Press in 2020, received the 2021 Clifford Geertz Prize from the Society for the Anthropology of Religion and was shortlisted for the Albert J. Raboteau Prize. Crosson has published comparative works on geology and Africana knowledge systems in respected journals such as Comparative Studies in Society and History, and his explorations of Caribbean spiritual practices and the role of science in legal interventions known as obeah have appeared in Method & Theory in the Study of Religion and Ethnos. His work also engages with issues of race relations and has found recognition in Anthropological Quarterly, winning the Question in Social Sciences award. Currently, his research addresses climate change, migration, and conceptions of energy, contributing to edited volumes such as Mediality on Trial and Climate Politics, Power, and Religion. Crosson’s commitment to examining the nuanced relationships between religion, environment, and contemporary social issues makes a significant contribution to the field.

Research Interests

Courses