Research
This page holds information about current and past research projects. While not all projects are represented here, what’s included hopefully provides a sense of the work I’ve been conducting under the banner of popular spirituality in the Dominican Republic.
The Gagá of San Luis 2014 to Present
The municipality of San Luis in Santo Domingo Este boasts one of the oldest Gagá (Rara) celebrations in the Dominican Republic. My research has documented these celebrations in San Luis since 2015. Throughout this time, I have conducted participatory observations of the Gagá, participated in Holy Week processions, and witnessed some of its more intimate rituals. My goal with this project is to highlight how the Gagá ritual-celebrations have been critical to 1-processes of community formation for San Luis, and 2-the construction of a sense of locality for a community tied to the sugar industry.
Espiritualidad Fronteriza/Borderland Spirituality 2017 to Present
This set of research activities is part of a project on spirituality along the Dominico-Haitian borderlands. Espiritualidad Froteriza brings together two sets of ritual celebrations—the feast of Saint Francis and the Celebrations of the Virgen del Carmen—celebrated in the municipality of Banica, in the city of Elias Piña, on the banks of the Artibonite River. This project aims to further examine popular spiritual practices in the Dominican Republic, particularly at this juncture where the nation meets its neighbor, Haiti.
Kings & Queens of Vodou 2019 to Present
This project seeks to recast the perception of Vodú (Vodou) priests and priestesses in the Dominican Republic. Historically, the portrayal of Vodou practices in the country has been tied to a negative perception of the practice. Whether in the eyes of the state or civil society, Vodou priests and priestesses have been cast as evil forces running counter to what are supposed to be Dominican “values.”