Faculty

Jonathon S. Kahn

Professor of Religion

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In the Media
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Jonathon S. Kahn (AB Princeton University; PhD, Columbia University 2003) is Professor of Religion. His teaching and writing interests are at the intersection of race, religious ethics, and politics. His current work explores the formation of modern versions of secularism. Kahn is the author of Divine Discontent: The Religious Imagination of W. E. B. Du Bois (Oxford University Press, 2009) and the editor of (with Vincent Lloyd) Race and Secularism in America (Columbia University Press, 2016). His recent essays on secularity include, “When the Westboro Baptist Church Came to Vassar College” in Soundings; “The Virtue of Democratic Faith: A Recovery for Difficult Times” and “Pragmatism, Messianism, and Political Theology after Ted Smith’s Weird John Brown” in Political Theology; “Secularism and Religion in American Education,” in The Oxford Handbook of Religion and American Education; and “Reading Wayne Proudfoot’s Religious Experience: Pragmatism, Naturalism, and the Limits of Democratic Discourse”, in Pragmatism and Naturalism. He’s actively working on a book, Secularism in America (Routledge) and after that will turn to a long planned project, Black Democratic Faith: A Reconstruction.

BA, Princeton University; MA, MPhil, PhD, Columbia University in the City of New York

At Vassar since 2005

Contact

jokahn@vassar.edu

845-437-5521

Blodgett Hall
Box 341

Website

Departments and Programs

Africana Studies

American Studies

Religion

Courses

AFRS/RELI 330 Religion, Critical Theory and Politics

In the Media

In an Inside Higher Ed opinion essay, President Elizabeth H. Bradley and Professor of Religion Jonathon S. Kahn ask if the breakdown of dialogue on college campuses is in part a reflection of how students are taught.

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The Surprising Legacy of Black Theologian Rev. Howard Thurman at Vassar

As part of Vassar’s Inclusive History Initiative, students in a Vassar Intensive presented research relating to the Rev. Howard Thurman, a religious and civil rights leader who gave more than a dozen sermons at the College between 1928 and 1957.

A person sitting at a table with plates and glasses on it is speaking to someone standing next to them, at the right of the photo. The seated person has glasses, a white hat, and an orange shirt. The standing person has short dark hair and a dark suit with a nametag that says “Ron”. Two people are standing in the background talking.

Inclusive History Initiative Gathers Steam with Expert Input, Student Research

Vassar’s Inclusive History initiative took several steps forward at a retreat at the Alumnae House this fall.

Professor of Religion Jonathon Kahn is interviewed by Spectrum News on whether religion and morality are one in the same.

person writing their answer on a large Post-it poster titled with the question, 'What Should Future Founder's Days Look Like?'

Complicating Founder’s Day

The Engaged Pluralism Race and Racism in Historical Collections Working Group hosted an event three days before Founder’s Day that asked members of the Vassar community to examine the racist elements that were present during Founders Day’s in the past.

three standing people behind a table talking animatedly and writing things down on pads

Vassar Continues Commitment to Engaged Pluralism

Lauding the success of a five-year experiment known as the Engaged Pluralism Initiative, President Elizabeth H. Bradley has announced the program will continue as an integral part of the campus culture.

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Credit

Karl Rabe/Vassar College

Credit

Karl Rabe/Vassar College