معرفی
David Smilde is a Professor of Sociology and Charles A. and Leo M. Favrot Professor of Human Relations at Tulane University, within the School of Liberal Arts. His work focuses on Latin American social mobilization, religion, and political dynamics, particularly in Venezuela. He has conducted extensive research on the Chávez and Maduro governments, exploring themes of participation, crime, and revolutionary socialism.
Smilde holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Chicago (1994), alongside an M.A. (1994) and B.A. in Sociology & Philosophy from Calvin College (1989). He has served as Editor-in-Chief of Qualitative Sociology (2011–2018) and is a Senior Fellow at the Washington Office on Latin America. His research bridges ethnography and comparative historical sociology, analyzing how cultural practices shape political and social movements.
Key research interests include religion’s role in social movements, the paradox of violence under Chavismo, and qualitative methodological approaches. He has authored or edited over 20 books, including Reason to Believe: Cultural Agency in Latin American Evangelicalism (2007) and The Paradox of Violence in Venezuela (2022). His work frequently addresses Venezuela’s political crisis, appearing in outlets like the Wall Street Journal and National Public Radio.
Smilde has received prestigious awards, including the ASA Sociology of Religion Distinguished Book Award (2008). His current projects include studying socialist activism among Venezuelan youth and analyzing the Catholic Church’s role during the crisis. He teaches undergraduate courses on social theory, Latin American mobilization, and comparative historical sociology.
