Brian C. Smithson

Brian C. Smithson is an Assistant Professor in the Sociology and Anthropology Department at St. Mary's College of Maryland. His research focuses on the audiovisual cultures and religions of West Africa, particularly in Bénin. He is completing a book titled Aesthetics of Praise: Making Movies Religious in Bénin, which explores how Yorùbá-language filmmakers navigate religious, economic, and cultural challenges by emphasizing indigenous religious ethics to foster political unity.

Dr. Smithson holds a Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from Duke University and a Master's in African Studies from UCLA. His fieldwork includes apprenticeship with Bénin filmmakers and co-producing a Yorùbá-language film. He has taught at Duke University, Bowdoin College, and the University of Virginia.

His research integrates ethnographic methods, film production, and interdisciplinary analysis to address themes of religious pluralism, economic precarity, and cultural identity in Africa.