Expertise

African and Caribbean Religions

Biography

Educated at universities on four continents, and having lived ten years of his adult life in Zaire and Haiti, Professor Rey specializes in the anthropology and history of African and African diasporic religions. Through it all, he maintains a keen interest in the work and influence of French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu. Dr. Rey is the 2008 recipient of the Eleanor Hofkin Award for Teaching Excellence in the College of Liberal Arts and a 2011 recipient of the Provost’s Award for Innovative Teaching in General Education.

Selected Publications

Books Published

• Zombie Apocalypse: Holy Land, Haiti, Hollywood. Philadelphia, Rome, and Tokyo: North Broad Press, 2024, 543 pp.
• The Priest and the Prophetess: Abbé Ouvière, Romaine Rivière, and the Revolutionary Atlantic World. New York: Oxford University Press, 2017, 330 pp.  
• Crossing the Water and Keeping the Faith: Haitian Religion in Miami. New York: New York University Press, 2013, 266 pp. Co-Authored with Alex Stepick.
• Churches and Charity in the Immigrant City: Religion, Immigration, and Civic Engagement in Miami. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2009, 275 pp. Co-Edited with Alex Stepick and Sarah J. Mahler.
• Òrìsà Devotion as World Religion: The Globalization of Yòrubá Religious Culture. Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press, 2008, 609 pp. Co-Edited with Jacob K. Olupona.
• Bourdieu on Religion: Imposing Faith and Legitimacy. London: Routledge, 2007, 181 pp.
• Our Lady of Class Struggle: The Cult of the Virgin Mary in Haiti. Trenton and Asmara: Africa World Press, 1999, 362 pp.

Courses Taught

• African Religions and New World Culture
• Traditional Religions of Africa
• Religion in Philadelphia
• Religion in the World
• Religion and Society
• Death and Dying
• Capstone Seminar in Religion
• What is Christianity?