Associate Professor of Religion
Research Areas: American religious history; identity construction in Africana esoteric religions; religion and technology; digital religion; religion and popular culture
Margarita Simon Guillory teaches courses on American religious history, digital
religion, and religion and popular culture. Her research interests include identity
construction in Africana esoteric religions, religion and technology, and social scientific
approaches to religion. She is the author of Social and Spiritual Transformation in
African American Spiritual Churches (Routledge 2017) and co-editor of Esotericism in
African American Religious Experience (Brill 2014). In addition to these works, she has
published articles in the Journal of Gnostic Studies, Culture and Religion, and Pastoral
Psychology. Her current project, Africana Religion in the Digital Age, considers how
African Americans utilize the Internet, social media, mobile applications, and gaming to
forge new ways to express their religious identities.
Selected Publications:
Spiritual and Social Transformation in African American Spiritual Churches (Routledge, 2017).
Esotericism in African American Religious Experience: “there Is a Mystery.” (Brill Academic Pub, 2014).
For a detailed academic bio and CV, please see Professor Guillory’s Department Profile.