Associate Professor, Associate Chair and Director of the Program in Undergraduate Studies
About
Professor Calvo-Quirós’ research and teaching center on the connections and intersections among the multidisciplinary fields of Religion, Aesthetics, and both virtual and physical spaces. 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.
His book, Undocumented Saints, has received the following awards:
- 2024: Best First Book Award in the History of Religions, American Academy of Religion.
- 2023: Frank S. and Elizabeth D. Brewer Prize, American Society of Church History.
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. The book focuses on five vernacular saints that have emerged in Latino America, whose devotions have relocated to the U.S. over the past one hundred years. This book is available in an open-access format, thanks to funding from TOME (Toward an Open Monograph Ecosystem) and the University of Michigan in collaboration with Oxford University Press.
His research is recognized 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.
His current research, OnlineGod: Digital Religious Practices in the Cloud, focuses on how digital platforms reshape and re-imagine religious experiences. The project documents how practices such as prayer, worship, and rituals are conducted online, as well as how religious digital communities foster connection, maintain cohesion, and challenge traditional forms of worship and spiritual engagement. In other words, what does it mean for religion to go "digital," and how do these emerging online spiritual expressions influence people's beliefs and practices?
RESEARCH AREAS OF INTEREST:
- Aesthetics
- Religion and Digital faith practices
- Ethnographic research methods and theory
AFFILIATIONS:
Core Faculty: Program in Latina/o Studies (LS)
Professor Calvo Quirós holds a joint appointment in the LSA Department of American Culture (AC) and by courtesy in the Stamps School of Art and Design. He is also affiliated with the Program of Transcultural Studies and the Center for Ethics, Society, and Computing (ESC) at the University of Michigan.
OTHER INTERNATIONAL AFFILIATIONS:
CV & PUBLICATIONS
(Request a CV for the updated version)
