David Howlett

David Howlett is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Religion at Smith College, where he teaches courses on American religions. He has previously held teaching positions at Kenyon College, Skidmore College, and Bowdoin College. His academic credentials include a Ph.D. from The University of Iowa, an M.A. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and a B.S.E. from the University of Central Missouri, where he initially pursued a path to become a certified high school social studies instructor.

Dr. Howlett specializes in American religions with particular expertise in religious minorities and their strategies for navigating religious landscapes. His research examines how minority religious groups construct centers and peripheries, manage internal dissent, and differentiate themselves from more dominant religious traditions. His methodological approach combines ethnographic fieldwork conducted across the United States, India, and the Philippines with traditional archival research. His work consistently addresses broader themes in religious studies including pilgrimage, globalization, indigeneity, conflict, class, race, gender, and authenticity.

Howlett's scholarly trajectory reveals a progression from focused historical ethnographies of specific Mormon sites toward increasingly global and comparative analyses of religious networks. His publications demonstrate interdisciplinary engagement spanning religious studies, anthropology, sociology, and postcolonial studies, with particular attention to transnational religious movements and the diversification of religious traditions over time.

• Best First Book Award from the Mormon History Association for Kirtland Temple: The Biography of a Shared Mormon Sacred Space

Dr. Howlett has made significant contributions to academic governance, having served on the editorial boards of four scholarly journals and the steering committee for the Global Mormon Studies network. He recently completed his term as president of the Mormon History Association and has organized numerous conferences in the field of Mormon studies. Beyond academic service, he serves as an official church historian for Community of Christ and has been actively involved with his local Episcopal parish.

His current research includes two major projects: one examining global exchanges between American Mormon groups, indigenous communities in India, and converts in the Philippines; and another, conducted with Nancy Ross, documenting the history of women's ordination movements within Mormon traditions and how these advocates formed interfaith relationships to claim religious authority.