Former Wheaton assistant professor of political science Larycia Hawkins was recently hired as the Abd el-Kader visiting faculty fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia.
James Davison Hunter, executive director and founder of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture, said that Hawkins “brings keen insights into the intersections of religions and race” and that the institute is “fortunate” to have her as a visiting scholar.
In 2007 Hawkins spent time as a postdoctoral fellow at The Miller Center at UVA, which specializes in presidential scholarship, public policy and political history. It is at The Miller Center that Hawkins worked to publish her thesis, “Framing the Faith-Based Initiative: Black Church Elites and the Black Policy Agenda.”
Hawkins will be actively involved in two projects for the institute during her time at UVA. The first is the Pluralism Project, which aims to understand the shifting boundaries of pluralism in the 21st century United States and the terms by which “social cohesion is negotiated.”
The second project, The Race Faith and Culture Project, will examine multiracial Christian communities and the significance of the relationship between Christianity and race in 21st century America.
The Record was not able to interview Hawkins at this time. Her personal assistant, Ruth Reitmeier, stated that “her health has been compromised, and she is taking a few weeks off for a personal retreat and to get medical attention.”