Curriculum Vitae
CAROL A. FERRARA, PHD
EDUCATION
| 2019 | Boston University - PhD in Sociocultural Anthropology |
| 2018 | The American University of Paris - MA (dual degree) in Middle East & Islamic Studies and International Affairs |
| 2004 | Rochester Institute of Technology - BS in International Business |
PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS
| 2020 | Emerson College, Assistant Professor, Department of Marketing Communication |
| 2019 | Fulbright-EHESS, 2019-2020 Postdoctoral Fellow |
SCHOLARLY PUBLICATIONS
Peer Reviewed
| 2023 | "Which sway? Athlete activism, teammate allyship and fan patriotism," International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship (published online March 2023). Authors: Brent Smith, Stephanie A. Tryce, Carol Ferrara. |
| 2023 | "Breaking the Republican mold: French independent schools and agonistic pluralism amidst Franco-conformity," French Cultural Studies (published online January 2023). |
| 2023 | "Secularism in the French context," in Secularism in Comparative Perspective, ed. Jonathan Laurence, Springer, 2023. |
| 2022 | "Religious education in French private schools: Categories, conflations, and inequities," British Journal of Religious Education (published online October 2022). |
| 2018 | "Transmitting Faith in the Republic: Muslim Schooling in Modern Plural France," Religious Education, 113: 1 (April 2018; published online April 2017). |
| 2016 | “Les écoles musulmanes privées sous contrat avec l’État, actrices d’une société française intégrée,” (“Private Muslim schools funded by the state, actors in an integrated French society”: publication in French) in Identités religieuses et cohésion sociale : la France et le Québec à l'école de la diversité. 2016. Paris: Le Bord de l'eau. |
| 2012 | “Religious tolerance and understanding in the French education system,” Religious Education, 107: 5 (October/December 2012). |
Public Scholarship
Book Reviews
| 2015 | The Republic Unsettled: Muslim French and the Contradictions of Secularism, by Mayanthi Fernando, The Journal of Church and State, Autumn 2015, 57, 4: 777-779 |
Manuscripts in Progress
GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS & AWARDS
| 2019 | Fulbright-EHESS Post-Doctoral Award in Social Sciences) |
| 2017 | Mellon-Council for European Studies Dissertation Completion Fellowship Boston University Center for Humanities Dissertation Fellowship (declined) Boston University Women’s Guild Katherine Conner McLaughlin Scholarship |
| 2015 | Muslim Studies Fellowship, Boston University |
| 2013 | Graduate Research Abroad Fellowship, Boston University |
| 2011 | Muslim Studies Fellowship, Boston University Class Valedictorian, The American University in Paris |
| 2009 | Presidential Scholarship, The American University in Paris |
INVITED TALKS
| 2020 | “Francité sur les bords : l'identité française, pluralité, et les communautés musulmanes et catholiques,” (presentation in French) Reseau Thematique Pluridisciplinaire, Islam et chercheurs dans les cites, December 10, 2020 “Pious Citizens of the Republic: How Muslims and Catholics are fitting in, sticking out, and breaking the mold in contemporary France,” McGill University, November 20, 2020 “L’enracinement de la foi dans les écoles privées : pourquoi, comment, et avec quels résultats ?” CéSor, École des Hautes Études de Sciences Sociales (EHESS), February 4, 2020 |
| 2015 | “Religious values in school? The case of Muslim schooling” (presentation in French) Le Centre d'étude du fait religieux contemporain (CEFRELCO), Paris, France, March 2015 |
| 2014 | “Private Muslim and Catholic education in France,” (presentation in French) for Youth and Cultural Center of Millau, France (Maison de la jeunesse et de la culture; MJC), February 2014 |
CONFERENCE PARTICIPATION
Papers Presented
| 2022 | “Faithful citizens of the Republic: Muslim and Catholic French national (non)belonging and the consequences for civic engagement,” Council for European Studies (CES) conference, Reykjavik, Iceland, June 2023 |
| 2022 | “Learning religion in French private schools: categories and conflations through the lens of Muslim, Catholic, and secular case studies,” American Academy of Religion (AAR) conference, Denver, CO, November 2022 |
| 2022 | “Permissive Pluralism Amidst Franco-Conformity: Independent Schools as Alternative Models of Managing Difference under French Republicanism,” Council for European Studies (CES) conference, Lisbon, Portugal, June 2022 |
| 2021 | “Breaking the Republican Mold: Independent schooling in France,” Council for European Studies (CES) conference, remotely held, June 2021 |
| 2019 | “Transmitting faith in the Republic: Learning to be French in private Muslim schools.” (presentation in French) Les établissements scolaires privées musulmanes : une offre éducationnelle comme les autres ? Colloque International, URMIS, Université Côte d’Azur, Nice, France, November 2019 “I’m here for the mieux vivre ensemble”: analyzing Muslim agency in interfaith initiatives in France.” Council for European Studies (CES) conference, Madrid, Spain June 2019 |
| 2018 | “Unity or diversity?: Pious Muslims’ and Catholics’ negotiation of national identity in modern France.” Council for European Studies (CES), Chicago, IL, March 2018 |
| 2017 | “Traditionalism and Islam in the Republic: what Traditionalist Catholicism can tell us about Islam in France.” American Anthropological Association (AAA), Washington, DC, November 2017 “The making of a common enemy: Interreligious consensus amidst secular pluralism in France.” American Academy of Religion (AAR), Boston, MA, November 2017 |
| 2016 | “Schools with or without God: The Muslim response to France’s laïque education model.” American Academy of Religion (AAR), San Antonio, TX, November 2016 |
| 2015 | “The New Western Plurality and Citizen Co-Existence: The French Case.” Contending Modernities, University of Notre Dame, (International collaborative project conference), Rome, Italy, June 2015 |
| 2014 | “Educating “Secular” Europe: rising religious pluralism and the reshaping of (non)religious education” Council for European Studies (CES), Paris, France, March 2014 |
| 2013 | “Learning to Discriminate: Islamophobia and xenophobia in the French education system/ Learning to discriminate: Islamophobie dans le système éducatif français” (presentation in French) Islamophobia Research and Documentation Project at UC-Berkeley; CADIS-EHESS, Paris, France, December 2013 “Broadcasting ‘the other’: Media stereotypes and the quest to uncover the roots of Islamophobia in France.” American Anthropological Association (AAA), Chicago, IL, November 2013 |
| 2011 | “Religious Tolerance and Understanding in the French Education System: The impact of socioeconomics, piety and diversity on students’ relationship with religion” The European Network for Religious Education through Contextual Approaches (ENRECA), London, UK, May 2011 |
Panels Organized
| 2019 | “Authenticating agency: Muslim leadership and civic engagement in contemporary France” for Council for European Studies (CES) conference, Madrid, Spain June 2019 |
| 2018 | “Belonging to/in Europe: Negotiating value(s) of nation and identity in uncertain times" for Council for European Studies (CES) conference, Chicago, IL, March 2018 |
Other panel roles
| 2020 | Panel Chair, “Jewish Identity on the Margins in Modern Europe,” American Academy of Religion (AAR), Remote, December 2020 |
| 2018 | Discussant, “Migrant Integration and Religious Identity in Europe” for American Academy of Religion (AAR), Denver, CO November 2018 |
| 2015 | Roundtable participant, “Religious education in schools in France and Germany: exploring the challenges, advantages and possibilities across different models.” Journée d’étude, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Paris, France, December 2015 |
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Emerson College
The Responsibility Ladder: People, Power & Policy
Human-Centric Marketing and Social Responsibility
Communication, media, & society
Social and Mobile Marketing
Global Cultures: Applied Anthropology/Sociology
Religion and secularism in contemporary societies
Islamic Ways of Life
Islam in the World
Boston University
Cultural Anthropology, Teaching Fellow
FIELDWORK & RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
| 2019-2020 | France, multi-sited, Post-doctoral research |
| 2013-2015 | France, Paris, Lille, Lyon Lead researcher, France, Contending Modernities, Public Ethics and Citizenship in Plural Societies, collaborative international research project sponsored by the Kroc Institute at the University of Notre Dame and the Institute on Culture, Religion, and World Affairs (CURA) at Boston University |
| 2013-2014 | Paris, Lille, Lyon, France; Dissertation fieldwork |
| 2010-2011 | Ile-de-France, France; Master’s Thesis fieldwork |
| 2009-2010 | Tamil Nadu, India, Researcher, American University in Paris, Auroville |
| 2004 | Guadalajara, Mexico, Honors Thesis fieldwork |
Media Coverage
| 2022 | Invited guest, “The new Forum of Islam in France” BBC 4 Radio, February 13, 2022 |
| 2021 | Invited guest, “Flying the flag of secularism: What's behind Macron's Republican values bill?” The Debate, France24 Television |
Service to Profession
| 2021 | Manuscript review, British Journal of Religious Education Manuscript review, Routledge Press |
| 2020 | Manuscript review, Bloomsbury Press |
| 2017-2020 | Research Editorial Committee Member, EuropeNow Journal |
| 2019-2022 | Co-Chair, Religion in Europe Unit, American Academy of Religion |
| 2017-2021 | Steering Committee Member, Religion in Europe Unit, American Academy of Religion |
LANGUAGES
English (native)
French (fluent)
Spanish (advanced)
Standard Arabic (intermediate)
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
| American Academy of Religion (AAR) Council for European Studies (CES) Society for Applied Anthropology (SfAA) American Marketing Association (AMA) |
NON-ACADEMIC WORK EXPERIENCE
| 2017-2019 | Consultant, United States Government Agencies |
| 2005-2007 | Associate Director, The Bretton Woods Committee, Washington, District of Columbia |