Anthropologists have been sometimes ill-equipped to interpret the religious motivations of their subjects. For many years, even anthropologists of religion were hesitant to engage theology in their work or to critically analyze the theological foundations of the discipline itself. Meanwhile, theologians have at times failed to recognize the ways that cultural conditioning and specificity enters the lifeworlds of the people within their traditions. However, this has shifted in the 21^st century and anthropologists are increasingly concerned with how to properly engage with theology as a counterpart in ethnographic dialogue and theoretical critique. 

Founded in 2017, the Center for Theologically Engaged Anthropology aims to support this growing exchange. Through collaborative research projects, workshops, courses, and dialogues, we hope to inspire those doing ethnographic work to contend with the theological frameworks of their interlocutors as much as they contend with the daily realities of their social and political lives.