I specialize in the religious world of nineteenth-century liberal Christians, namely the Unitarians, and those born from their ideas and institutions, such as the Transcendentalists. However, I am interested New England religious history more broadly, from the time of colonial settlement to the early 20th century, specifically in the ways that theology impacts the lived reality of New Englanders and Indigenous peoples.

Though my primary research interests are in “old” new religions (like Christian Science and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), I teach and publish in the area of new religions more broadly. I am particularly interested in how new religious groups transition from maligned to tolerated, even accepted, entities in the American context, and the ways that language can impact this process, as well as shape the perception of these groups.

I look at the ways 19th century American religious discourse shapes women’s perceptions of their gender identity, their capability, and their relationship to sources of religious authority and power. My next major project is a work on Caroline Wells Healey Dall, a nineteenth-century Unitarian-Transcendentalist, writer, and social reformer, whose engagement with major moral reform movements of her time has been virtually excised from the historical record.

I am interested in exploring and writing about how undergraduate teachers adapt to the changing landscape of pedagogy (i.e. with the advent of AI) and the decentralization of information. My work in this area is focused particularly on teaching students to be critical thinkers and consumers of information.