Religion and Race
My research agenda centers how race and religion intersect in the contexts of food insecurity and civic engagement. My dissertation and ongoing research studies local food pantries in Brazos County, TX, where the significantly higher rate of food insecurity disproportionally impacts Black and Hispanic communities, but is almost entirely addressed through culturally white civic structures and ideology. Inspired by the food insecurity challenges of my community, I engaged in participant-observation at five religiously-affiliated food distribution sites over the course of four years, tracing an overarching cultural process that is rooted in conservative, white, evangelical theology. My research documents how this pervasive influence adversely impacts Black and Hispanic populations by laundering racist ideology through the social welfare system, manifesting in places like the policies of public food pantries.
Listen to more about my research on Dr. Heidi Campbell’s podcast Disruptive Dialogues
Collaborative
My research work is part of a larger collaboration between the Department of Sociology and the local community and led by Dr. Sarah Gatson, focusing on improving food access and generating participatory-action knowledge. Through interdisciplinary teams and multi-method approaches, our research collective pursues community health interventions and policy recommendations that are created with and for the marginalized populations of our area. Thanks to this experience, my research agenda going forward not only incorporates collaborative efforts between scholars and community, but depends on it as well.
Team-based
My work facilitates collaborative, interdisciplinary, undergraduate research teams. In this innovative team-based design, I select and train diverse groups of students in ethnographic methods and sociological topics, and perform research with them. In leading these teams, I have secured $20,000 in funding from the Louisville Institute (Project Grant, 2020) to compensate the students for their work. I also structure my courses to follow this same team-based pedagogical model.
See examples of research generated by my undergraduate teams
Service-learning
As a scholar-activist, I strive to make my research and teaching a benefit to our society in active, meaningful ways. Through participation in community support organizations, sharing materials and knowledge with community members, and other methods, my work as a sociologist centers the needs and assets of local communities to meet both scholarly as well as practical goals.
Andrew McNeely, Ph.D. 