About
Matthew S. Hedstrom serves as Associate Professor of Religious Studies and American Studies at the University of Virginia, maintaining office hours in Gibson Hall S-013. His academic work bridges interdisciplinary scholarship in religion and American cultural history.
Hedstrom's research focuses on the historical interplay between religious thought, print culture, and spiritual movements in 20th-century America. His scholarship examines how book publishing shaped liberal religious discourse and spiritual practices, with particular attention to the cultural mechanisms through which religious ideas circulated.
His seminal 2015 monograph The Rise of Liberal Religion establishes critical connections between publishing history and American spirituality, revealing how religious movements strategically utilized books to disseminate ideas. This work exemplifies his methodological approach combining religious studies, historical analysis, and cultural criticism to explore the material dimensions of faith traditions.
