Max Johnson Dugan is a Visiting Instructor Professor of Religious Studies at Kenyon College, having completed his doctoral work in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania in 2024. At Kenyon College, he teaches courses on Islam and material religion, including "Islam's Diverse Paths," "Islam in North America," "Encountering Religion in its Global Context," and "Religious Bodies, Objects, and Affects."
Max's research focuses on Islamic material and visual culture, embodiment, and emotions. His dissertation examined Halal consumption in Philadelphia using a combination of ethnographic and digital humanistic methods in order to understand how Islamic traditions, racialization, and the contingencies of urban life give halal consumer goods their purchase. The project speaks to issues of class, ethnicity, and communal authority, while offering insight into non-elite, lived Islam in the United States.
Max has ongoing research projects on popular Islamic art in the US, the affective dynamics of basketball in Muslim communities, and postcolonial affects. Digital humanistic praxis is a core component of his scholarship and teaching. Learn more about the DH projects which he has led or been involved with: http://maxjohnsondugan.com/digital-projects/
PhD, Religious Studies, University of Pennsylvania
MA, Religious Studies, University of Pennsylvania
BA, Religious Studies, Kenyon College
Islamic material and visual culture, embodiment, and affect
Islam in North America
Halal consumption
Digital humanities
Religion and Sport
American Religions
Material and Visual Culture
- With Megan Eaton Robb, “Structuring Sports, Structuring Community: The Islamic Society of Chester County Debates a Basketball Court.” In Religion and Sports in North America: Critical Essays for the Twenty-First Century, edited by Randall Balmer and Jeffery Scholes. New York: Routledge, 2022.
- “Ayat Al Kursi Round,” MAVCOR Journal 6, no. 2 (2022).
- (Forthcoming) “Stephen C. Finley: In and Out of This World: Material and Extraterrestrial Bodies in the Nation of Islam. Duke University Press, 2022.” Material Religion.
- "Sophia Rose Arjana: Buying Buddha, Selling Rumi: Orientalism and the Mystical Marketplace. Oneworld Academic, 2020.” American Journal of Islam and Society 39, no. 3-4 (2022), 198-2020."
- “Teren Sevea Miracles and Material Life: Rice, Ore, Traps and Guns in Islamic Malaya. Cambridge University Press, 2020.” American Journal of Islam and Society 39, no. 1-2 (2022): 183-187.
- “Adam J. Frank and Elizabeth A. Wilson: A Silvan Tomkins Handbook: Foundations for Affect Theory.” Capacious 3, no.3 (2021): 146-149.
American Academy of Religion