Associate Professor of Religious Studies Gaston Espinosa has edited a new book, Religion, Race, and the American Presidency (Rowman & Littlefield, 2008), a collection of articles by contributing writers Espinosa among them examining the relationships between American presidents and key racial and religious groups.
In timing with the publication's release last week, Espinosa was invited to speak on behalf of the Latin American and U.S. Latino Studies Program at the University of Pennsylvania on Monday, Sept. 15. His address, Latino Religions, Politics, and the 2008 Presidential Election, presented findings from his article, Latinos, Religion, and the American Presidency, which appears in the new book.
"Religion and race have proven to be contentious issues within U.S. presidential politics, and the contributors... provide invaluable analysis on this subject that will be widely referenced for years to come," R. Drew Smith, a scholar-in-residence at The Leadership Center at Morehouse College, says of the new book.
Chapter topics include relationships between the American presidency and evangelicals, mainline Protestants, Catholics, seculars, women, Jews, Muslims, Asian Americans, African-Americans, and Latinos.
Espinosa is co-editor of the Columbia University Press Series in Religion and Politics, and president of the La Comunidad of Latino Scholars of Religion at the American Academy of Religion (AAR), an interdisciplinary society composed of academics, professionals, graduate students, and other persons interested in promoting scholarly research and dialogue on Latino religions and society in the U.S., Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Canada.