The authors consider how the films ask us to reconsider who gets to be “good,” who is deemed “wicked,” and what it costs everyone when that distinction is made while reified on and against certain bodies. You don't want to miss it!

www.american-religion.org/team

- Seth Perry on _Joseph Smith_ by John Turner muse.jhu.edu/article/993179
- Anthony M. Trujillo on _Religion in the Lands that Became America_ by Thomas A. Tweed muse.jhu.edu/article/993180

- Seth Perry on _Joseph Smith_ by John Turner muse.jhu.edu/article/993179
- Anthony M. Trujillo on _Religion in the Lands that Became America_ by Thomas A. Tweed muse.jhu.edu/article/993180

- Maddie Shorman on _Prioritizing Faith_ muse.jhu.edu/article/993175
- Amy Fallas on _Martyrs and Migrants_ muse.jhu.edu/article/993176

- David Reed Hall, "A Cult Movie"
- Savannah Flanagan, "The Trauma of Childbirth"
- Ashley Douglas, "Outsider Hagiographies"
Read their responses here: www.american-religion.org/testament-an...

For further information, see: american-religion.org/announcements

We look forward to your submissions!

Please send submissions to [email protected] by August 30, 2026, and include:
1) an abstract of the dissertation
2) the complete dissertation as a pdf file
3) the author’s current CV

The prize recognizes outstanding dissertation writing in the field broadly understood as “religion in the Americas.” Our definitions of these operative terms are capacious, and we welcome submissions that deploy a broad array of methods and geographical orientations.