Join Professor William Calvo-Quirós for a discussion of his book, Undocumented Saints: The Politics of Migrating Devotions. The book explores how people's struggles for survival are expressed within the realms of faith, religiosity, and the imaginary, framing their popular religious expressions. It also examines the emergence of inter-religious states and transnational ethnic and cultural enclaves unified by faith and religion. Calvo-Quirós focuses on five vernacular (and mostly unofficial) saints that have emerged in Latin America, whose devotions have relocated to the U.S. over the past hundred years. He further explores the value of recentering people's beliefs and religious practices as they relate to survival, self-validation, and the creation of solidarity.
This event is presented by IHGC Fellow, Sam Shuman.
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William Calvo-Quirós’s is Associate Professor and Director of Latina/o Studies at the University of Michigan. His research and teaching focus on the connections and intersections among the multidisciplinary fields of Religion, Latino Studies, Aesthetics, and both virtual and physical spaces. Key questions guiding his work include: How do faith and religion manifest and evolve? How do individuals engage with and change their religious practices? What role do empathy and care play in motivating and inspiring people to imagine and enact the promotion of a different world?
His early work focused on car subcultures and how cars manifest American values and histories, particularly examining car customizations and their use of color and design methodologies. His most recent book, titled Undocumented Saints: The Politics of Migrating Devotions, explores the translocation of popular saints and devotions into the U.S. and the evolution of their meanings. The book has received the 2024 Best First Book Award in the History of Religions and the 2023 Frank S. and Elizabeth D. Brewer Prize.
His research is recognized nationally and internationally, as he frequently travels abroad to present his findings and collaborate with scholars from around the world. He is a member of the International Sociological Association, serving as a founding member and current co-president of Thematic Group 12: Social Love and Solidarity. Additionally, he serves as a board member of SocialOne, an international group of scholars interested in studying and understanding social love and care on a global scale. He has also been a board and consultant member for the Love World Index.
Professor Calvo-Quirós' interests also encompass digital religious studies, methodologies and online spiritualities, as well as the exploration of the power of empathy and forgiveness to formulate new discourses of dialogue in America.