Alyssa Maldonado-Estrada

Alyssa Maldonado-Estrada is an Associate Professor of Religion at Kalamazoo College, specializing in ethnography and material culture studies. She teaches courses on religion and masculinity, Latin American religions, urban religion, and Catholic Studies. Her research focuses on contemporary Catholicism, gender embodiment, and devotional practices in urban contexts, particularly in New York City.

Dr. Maldonado-Estrada earned her PhD and MA in Religion from Princeton University and a BA in Sociology and Religion from Vassar College. She is editor of Material Religion: The Journal of Objects, Art and Belief and co-chair of the Men and Masculinities Unit at the American Academy of Religion. Her work has been featured in venues like U.S. Catholic, American Religion, and the BBC World Service documentary The Instagram Witches of Brooklyn.

Her key projects include Lifeblood of the Parish (2020), an ethnography of masculinity and Catholic devotion in Brooklyn, and her current research on the technological history of the rosary. She explores themes like material culture circulation, Latinx religious practices, and the intersection of religion with gentrification and urban transformation.

• Education: PhD in Religion (Princeton), MA in Religion (Princeton), BA in Sociology & Religion (Vassar).
• Editorial Roles: Editor of Material Religion, editorial board member of American Religion.
• Awards: Young Scholars in American Religion (IUPUI, 2020).

Her articles bridge scholarship and public engagement, addressing topics from tattooed devotion to the sensory dimensions of prayer. She actively contributes to pedagogical innovation, leveraging Instagram as a teaching tool and developing tactile pedagogy with religious artifacts.