Laurie Denyer Willis

Laurie Denyer Willis, Senior Lecturer in Social Anthropology at the University of Edinburgh, discusses her book, which explores the intersection of Evangelical faith and political engagement in suburban Brazil. She highlights the rise of evangelical movements amid political fatigue and state violence in Rio de Janeiro. The conversation reveals how women in intimate religious spaces foster resilience and community. Denyer Willis also shares insights on ethnography, personal narratives, and how motherhood influences research on spirituality and societal inequality.

Laurie Denyer Willis, a Senior Lecturer in Social Anthropology at the University of Edinburgh, shares insights from her book on Evangelical faith in Rio's suburban communities. She discusses how political exhaustion reshapes local engagement and how faith offers a pathway to resilience in the face of state violence. The conversation weaves personal and community narratives, focusing on motherhood's role in fieldwork and the dynamics of empowerment among evangelical women, all amid Brazil's complex sociopolitical landscape.