Professor Publishes Book on Religion and Politics

Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Damon Berry has published a new book, “Christianity and the Alt-Right: Exploring the Relationship.” The book’s publisher, Routledge, describes it as “a must-read for those interested in religion in America, religion and politics, evangelicalism, and religion and race.”

According to the publisher, Berry’s book is a cutting-edge volume that “offers insight into the role that race and racism played in shaping former President Donald Trump’s candidacy and presidency, and how xenophobia, racism, and religion intersect within Alt-Right and Evangelical cultures in the age of Trump.”

Berry, whose research focuses on the moments when religious and racialized discourse informs exclusion and violence, examines the role that Christianity plays within the Alt-Right and the development of “pro-white Christianity,” according to Routledge. The book also explores “religious tolerance between members of the Alt-Right who are Pagan or atheist and those who are Christian, whilst also exploring the reaction from Christian communities to the phenomenon of the Alt-Right.”

At St. Lawrence, Berry regularly teaches courses like Global Christianities, Religion & Race, Religion & Violence, Religion in Conspiracy Theory, and American Religious Lives. In 2020, he was awarded the J. Calvin Keene Award, which is given to a faculty member in recognition of high standards of personal scholarship, effective teaching and moral concern. Berry holds a Ph.D. from Ohio State University.