Dr. Nancy Levene

Biography

Nancy Levene is a Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Yale University and serves as the Assistant Director of Graduate Studies for Religion and Modernity. Her research and teaching focus on Western modernity, exploring its philosophical, literary, theological, and political dimensions. She is interested in the foundational concepts that structure the humanities and history, as well as the critique of various canons and narratives that shape the intellectual landscape. Levene has published two significant books: "Spinoza’s Revelation: Religion, Democracy, and Reason," which examines the intersection of metaphysics and politics in Spinoza's work, and "Powers of Distinction: On Religion and Modernity," offering a wide-ranging critique of the foundational forms of modernity through a religious lens. Prior to joining Yale, she taught at Williams College and Indiana University, Bloomington. Levene has also served on the editorial board of the Social Science Research Council blog, focusing on secularism, religion, and the public sphere. She has initiated collaborative research and teaching projects in religious studies, especially those that foster creative work at the intersection of religion and modernity.

Research Interests

Experience