We are pleased to welcome you to the Religion and American Culture Caucus of the American Studies Association. We invite and encourage all ASA members who are interested in exploring the place of religion in American life, and promoting the study and teaching of religion within American studies, to join.

In recent years scholarship in American religion has taken a decidedly American studies turn, as older paradigms emphasizing institutional histories and dominant groups have given way to newer approaches that focus less on official religion and more on religion as it is lived and practiced. These newer approaches are multidisciplinary, encompassing, for example, popular culture, visual and media studies, material culture, and cultural geography, and often emphasizing themes of sexuality, gender, race, region, class, and transnationalism.

We hope the caucus will serve as a forum for scholars in American studies—and those looking for an institutional home—to meet, generate future ASA panels, and discuss research and teaching in this rapidly changing field.

As a caucus we hope to not only address the needs of current ASA members, but to also encourage new members to join by providing them a home within the association. In addition to serving members whose work is primarily in the field of American religion, we also hope to serve as a resource for members whose primary focus lies elsewhere, but who find themselves addressing some aspect of religion in their work.

Please explore this site to learn more about what we do, including sponsoring panels, a best paper prize, and on-going collaborative projects related to research and teaching.