Whitney Bauman

Whitney Bauman is a Professor of Religious Studies at Florida International University (FIU). Her work bridges religion, ecology, and ethics, focusing on how religious beliefs shape human-environmental relations. She holds a PhD in Theology and Religious Studies from the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, with a dissertation on colonial mindsets and ecological ethics.

Education:

• PhD, Theology and Religious Studies, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley (2002-2007)
• MTS, Vanderbilt Divinity School (1998-2000)
• BA, Psychology, Hendrix College (1994-1998)

Research Interests:

• Religion and Ecology
• Environmental Ethics
• Queer Ecologies
• Planetary Humanities
• Colonialism and Environmental Impact

Her work analyzes how religious narratives influence ecological ethics, emphasizing ambiguity and pluralism in addressing climate change and globalization.

Key Publications:

• Environmental Ethics and Uncertainty: Wrestling with Wicked Problems (Routledge, 2019)
• Grounding Religion: A Field Guide to the Study of Religion and Ecology (Routledge, 2023)
• A Critical Planetary Romanticism: Literary and Scientific Origins of New Materialism (Columbia University Press, 2024, forthcoming)

Labs/Teams: Engaged with the Forum on Religion and Ecology and the Theological Roundtable on Ecological Ethics and Spirituality (TREES).