anthropology – Sowing the Seed

Off-Script Fall ‘26—Save the Date

Posted on August 5, 2026 by Richard Newton

Off-Script back with Fall ‘26 gatherings. Grab your calendars and save the date!

Curiosity Meets the Past Podcast

Posted on June 19, 2026June 19, 2026 by Richard Newton

Curiosity Meets the Past with Dr. Smiti Nathan. There's an image of a woman looking through a magnifying glass at substrata.

it was a real treat to be on Dr. Smiti Nathan's amazing anthropology YouTube show, Curiosity Meets the Past. This is a go-to spot to learn about currents in anthropology and archaeology. Dr. Nathan interviewed me about my work and my latest project, Decoding Diaspora: Signifying J. A. Rogers' Mythic Africa.

Job Opening– The Computational Study of Religion

Posted on November 20, 2024 by Richard Newton

I am pleased to annouce that the Department of Religious Studies at the Unviersity of Alabama is hiring, and that I am chairing the search for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Computational Study of Religion.

The Secondhand Sacred with Dr. James Bielo

Posted on November 14, 2024 by Richard Newton

Picture of James Bielo. He's wearing a blue, button-down shirt and grey pants. He wears glasses with round frames and looks into the camera. In the background is a blur of stone pavements and foliage.

Dr. James Bielo looks at what the secondhand sacred market can tell us about how people trade in religion and more.

20 Years On… Theorizing Scripture: New Critical Orientations to a Cultural Phenomenon

Posted on April 12, 2024 by Richard Newton

On April 11-13, 2024, the Institute for Signifying Scriptures will be hosting a special annual meeting to commemorate two momentous occasions: The 20th Anniversary of the Institute for Signifying Scriptures and the 25th Anniversary of the African Americans and the Bible Project. Over the next few weeks, I'm going to be highlighting some media to … Continue reading 20 Years On… Theorizing Scripture: New Critical Orientations to a Cultural Phenomenon