Thomas Long

My doctoral research focuses on Baptists in Texas and the highly politicized theological disparities and divisions among them. I conducted fieldwork with Baptist churches in and around Austin, which – as a liberal enclave within a highly conservative state – provided a site to explore how political and cultural contestations in the public sphere shape and influence Baptist divisions. I examine how these fractures manifest in contemporary Baptist life across key areas of contestation, including Biblical interpretation, LGBTQ+ sexuality, Critical Race Theory, the role of women in the church, and transgender identity. My research demonstrates how these politicised divisions ultimately allow Baptists to negotiate their positionality within their faith, continuously reshaping Baptist Christianity in response to contemporary cultural concerns.

My thematic interests include the Anthropology of Christianity, Evangelicalism, Right-Wing Populism, Political Theology, Ideology, and I am regionally interested in the United States of America.

+ WINNER of the 2024 American Anthropological Association 3-Minute-Thesis Competition 

https://americananthro.org/news/aaa-three-minute-thesis-finalists/#:~:text=The%20grand%20prize%20(%24400,100)%20went%20to%20Aiko%20Dzikowski

+ WINNER of the 2025 Society for Anthropological Sciences H. Russell Bernard Student Paper Prize

https://www.societyforanthropologicalsciences.org/2025/03/spring-2025-award-winners.html

I work as a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Manchester and have taught Introduction to Business Anthropology (SOAN10361), Power and Culture (SOAN10301) and Anthropology of Religion (SOAN20812). 

Professor Soumhya Venkatesan 

Dr Méadhbh McIvor