Margarita Guillory, professor of religion and director of the African American & Black Diaspora Studies Program, has been appointed as C. Allyn and Elizabeth V. Russell Professor of Religion and Culture in the United States.
This professorship was established in honor of Dr. C. Allyn Russell and his wife, Elizabeth. Russell was a Baptist minister and professor emeritus of religion who joined Boston University in 1961 and devoted more than two decades to the study and teaching of American religious history. The professorship recognizes an outstanding faculty member in the Department of Religion working in this field.
Professor Guillory was selected following a rigorous review by an advisory committee of five senior Arts & Sciences faculty members, chaired by Cinzia Arruzza, Maria Stata Chair in Classical Greek Studies. Committee members included David Frankfurter, William Goodwin Aurelio Chair of the Appreciation of Scripture; Steven Smith, William Goodwin Aurelio Chair in Greek Language & Literature; Emilie Townes, Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor of Religion & Black Studies; and Chad Williams, Tomorrow Foundation Chair of American History. The committee was supported by Katie Hamel, special projects administrator in the CAS Office of the Dean.
Professor Guillory is a leading authority on African American religion. Her first book, Spiritual and Social Transformation in African American Churches (Routledge, 2018), established her as a significant voice in Black religious thought and earned recognition across disciplines including theology, history, and Africana studies. Her most recent book, Africana Religion in the Digital Age (Routledge, 2024), breaks new ground in the rapidly developing field of digital religion, offering a model of rigorous methodology for understanding contemporary American religious practice.
Professor Guillory played a key role in developing the revised charter for the Boston University Center for the Humanities and served as its associate director for several years. This year, she was selected as an inaugural Faculty Fellow for the Center for Faculty Development in the Provost’s Office. She is a recipient of the College’s Templeton Prize for Student Advising, and has served on numerous dissertation and qualifying exam committees. Her courses, such as the popular “Religion and Hip Hop Culture,” exemplify her ability to cross disciplines and challenge students to think in new and expansive ways.
Professor Guillory’s appointment will begin on July 1, 2026.