Ellen T. Armour

Ellen T. Armour is the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of Feminist Theology at Vanderbilt Divinity School and the Graduate Department of Religion, where she directs the Carpenter Program in Religion, Gender, and Sexuality. She holds affiliated appointments in the Department of Philosophy and the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at Vanderbilt and served as a Faculty Fellow at the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities (2017–2018).

• B.A., Stetson University (1980)
• M.A., Ph.D., Vanderbilt University (1989, 1993)

Her research focuses on feminist theology, contemporary continental philosophy, and theories of sexuality, race, gender, disability, and embodiment. Her work engages interdisciplinary approaches to religion, particularly through poststructuralist and queer theoretical frameworks.

Key themes in her publications include the intersection of religion and digital visual culture, decolonial ethics in theology, and the application of Judith Butler’s performativity theory to religious discourse. Her notable books include Seeing and Believing (2023), Signs and Wonders (2016), and Bodily Citations (co-editor, 2006).

Scientific Awards:

• Clarence Day Dean’s Award for Outstanding Teaching (1999)
• Jameson Jones Award for Faculty Service (2005)

Armour has held leadership roles such as Chair of the Religious Studies Department at Rhodes College (1991–2006) and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at Vanderbilt (2019–present). Her affiliations include St. Augustine’s Chapel (formerly Baptist) and the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities.