Adam DJ Brett

About

Adam DJ Brett earned his Ph.D. in religion from Syracuse University July 2022. His area of specialization is the religion, media and culture with attention to mass media and the diffuse influence of U.S. Protestant Fundamentalism on media, culture, business, and politics during the early 20th century. He is also interested in the efforts of Indigenous nations and peoples to oppose the usage of a 15th century papal bull, the Doctrine of Discovery, to justify U.S. property laws that dispossess the lands of Indigenous nations and communities (upheld by the Supreme Court as recently as 2005 in Sherrill v. Oneida. Both projects allow him to anchor his work within the sub-disciplines of critical theories of religion and American religious history with careful attention to discourses of identity and power (via Michel Foucault). He is an Operations Manager and International Research Associate with the American Indian Law Alliance (AILA) He has been involved with AILA since 2016. Through his deep love of technology, Adam facilitates conferences discussions, and panels. Adam is an integral part of AILA’s with the Global Indigenous Women’s Gathering, Global Indigenous Peoples Caucus, and the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. He is dedicated to forwarding the advancement of sovereignty and self-determination for Indigenous nations and peoples.

As a student of religion, he is interested in the impact of the Doctrine of Discovery, religious freedom, and how religion gets understood through law. Additionally, he is the grant & event coordinator for the Doctrine of Discovery Project with Professor Philip P. Arnold who is the Principal Investigator. The project is funded in part by the Henry Luce Grant “200 Years of Johnson v. McIntosh.” Professionally Adam has worked as a web developer, event planner, and social media manager for over a decade. He enjoys projects that allow him to integrate the academic study of religion, with contemporary issues, and creating new coding projects.

Areas of interest

  • American Religion/American Religious History
  • Fundamentalisms
  • Religion, Media, and Technology
  • Comics and Graphic Novels

Courses taught

  • Religion and Science Fiction
  • Religion and Sports
  • Religions of the World
  • Introduction to the Study of Religion
  • New Testament

Connect

This project is maintained by adamdjbrett. @adjb