KD Thompson

A sepia-colored globe showing Africa. Photo by James Wiseman on Unsplash

“Africa is not what it is because of what it is like. Africa is what it is because of what the world is like, and vice versa. So we study Africa to understand the world.”

— Elísio Macamo

A stack of four library books resting on a patterned textile surface. From top to bottom: Rhetoric and Demagoguery by Roberts-Miller; And God Knows the Soldiers by Abou El Fadl; Mass Communication & Development; and Everyday Media Culture in Africa, edited by Wendy Willems and Winston Mano.

Library book booty

Faithful Transformations - Reading Religion Malay Muslim women in Singapore cultivate piety by attending popular Islamic self-help classes. Nurhaizatul Jamil’s ethnographic study offers an interd...

Can self-improvement actually fix a rigged system? Nurhaizatul Jamil's Faithful Transformations follows Muslim women in Singapore as they navigate piety, productivity culture, and racial capitalism all at once — and the answer is complicated. I reviewed it for Reading Religion.

A procession of Buddhist monks in traditional saffron and maroon robes walking along the shoulder of a highway, led by a monk carrying a wooden staff. A red ‘Wrong Way’ sign is visible beside the road, with bamboo trees in the background and cars passing nearby.

Join peaceful protestors from Madison Dharma Action for Nonviolence and Awareness for a silent walk for peace in the Middle East & at home. Sunday 1 March. Meet at library mall at 2pm, then walk with us up State Street to join the Singing Resistance at Lisa Link Park at 2:30. All are welcome.

I feel for you both.

KD Thompson, a person with an asymmetrical haircut and pink hair, wearing an abaya and prayer beads, standing at a podium and speaking into a microphone.

Speaking at tonight’s Muslim faculty & staff Iftar on Ramadhan’s lessons for non-Muslims.

Is Wendy your spouse? Where are you two now?

KD Thompson (@phdeviant) As you may have read, the state of Kansas has begun sending letters to transgender residents ordering them to **immediately surrender their driver’s licenses** if the gender marker does not match thei...

substack.com/@phdeviant/n...

Duolingo app screenshot showing an Arabic translation exercise. The prompt reads “Translate this sentence” with Arabic text and a Duolingo character. Word tiles at the bottom read: I, am, always, hungry, in, the, afternoon, during, Ramadan.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

On the nose.

Simple line drawing of a cartoon figure on a white background, positioned in the lower right. The figure has a round bald head, large round eyes, two large ears, and a small curved mouth

Reading The Book of Eights after suhur (as one does) and found this little guy drawn in the margins.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and Africana Studies Job Title: Visiting Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and Africana Studies Department: Africana Studies Job Description: The Religious Studies Department and Africana Studies Program at Rhodes ...

Job: 2-year Visiting Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and Africana Studies at Rhodes College. Review of applications begins March 9, 2026.

Veto SB445 – A Threat to Free Speech and Civil Liberties in WI Text SIGN PGBFXC to 50409 to send this to your officials.

Right Speech protects all voices. SB445 would silence educators and public workers through fear of retaliation. May we speak truth freely and guard that right for others. Sign if you’re in WI. Text SIGN PGBFXC to 50409.
resist.bot/petitions/PG...
#EngagedBuddhism #Wisconsin

a poster that says blessings of ramadan with a crescent moon in the background Alt: a poster that says blessings of ramadan with a crescent moon in the background

Ramadhan mubarak!

Applications are now open for the 2026-2028 Young Scholars in American Religion cohort.
Applications are due April 1, 2026.
Learn more about YSAR and apply to be apart of the next cohort: raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/young-schola...

If you trust someone, you can often talk *to them* rather than talking *about them*. I know this gets complicated, but it's often less complicated than we tell ourselves it is.

Transnationalizing Raciolinguistics: An Intersectional Analysis for Understanding Chinese International Students’ Language Ideologies Across Contexts This study adopts a transnational raciolinguistic perspective to examine how Chinese international students (CISs) navigate language, race, and identity across borders and contexts. Based on semistru...

So proud of my student @gengqixiao.bsky.social and his coauthors! Their new article in the Journal of Sociolinguistics offers a sharp contribution to second language acquisition research, showing how language learning is shaped by identity, ideologies, and social interaction.

A Woman Is Not Created Mute: An Ethnography of Gender and Voice on Islamic Radio in Tanga, Tanzania ABSTRACT. This article explores how Muslims in Tanga, Tanzania, navigate theological and social constraints on the female voice through participation in Is

My latest article is out in JAAR! "A Woman Is Not Created Mute" explores how Muslim women in Tanzania navigate theological debates about the female voice as 'awrah while working at an Islamic radio station. First piece with photos! 📻 (Message me for a copy.)

Book coming soon, Inshallah.

✒️ Sultan Mustafa II (r. 1695–1703)

✒️ A Calligraphic Composition by Ottoman Sultan Mustafa II, c. 1700 "In the Name of God, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate"

UPDATE! IHRA (AB446/SB445) is likely to be passed in both houses and come down to a veto from Gov Evers. Wisconsinites! Please call and email the governor's office to urge him to veto this threat to academic freedom, free speech, and the right to protest.

My review of Wikke Jansen's excellent Queer Mobilities in Indonesia is now out. Her "insistence on queerness" framework shows how class, gender, & geography determine whose queerness can be publicly visible without devastating consequences & challenges a Western emphasis on visibility.

Historical photograph of a civil rights march showing a large crowd of protesters. Multiple handmade signs on wooden poles are visible with text including “WE DEMAND VOTING RIGHTS NOW!”, “WE DEMAND AN END TO POLICE BRUTALITY NOW!”, and blue signs reading “WE MARCH FOR JOBS FOR ALL” and “WE MARCH FOR DECENT PAY”. The crowd includes both Black and white participants wearing 1960s-era clothing including suits, ties, and dresses.

The MEGA Act violates the Second Precept: taking what isn’t given—our voting rights. May we protect access to the ballot box for all beings.
Text SIGN PBBMMV to 50409
resist.bot/petitions/PB...
#EngagedBuddhism #VotingRights​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

My review of Frédérick Madore's book on Christian & Muslim student activism in Togo and Benin (1970-2023) is out in JMAS. He offers valuable documentation of faith-based organizing and elite formation in West African universities. #AfricanStudies #ReligiousStudies

Wisconsin's SB445 Threatens Free Speech on Campus and Beyond—Here's How You Can Stop It Senate Bill 445 (SB445) would codify a controversial definition of antisemitism into state law—one that’s been widely criticized for chilling free speech, especially on college campuses.

Wisconsin's SB445 would silence classroom discussion about Palestinian rights & legislate political speech. The public hearing is Jan 28—we need your voice.

I testified against the assembly bill last fall. Now it's back. Read more & find out how to take action:

open.substack.com/pub/phdevian...

📢 Call for Applications
ACIP Ivan Karp Doctoral Research Awards 2026
For African PhD students enrolled at South African universities (humanities & humanistic social sciences).
💰 Up to ZAR 50,000
🗓️ Deadline: 1 May 2026
🔗 gs.emory.edu/guides/students/acip.html
#PhDFunding #AfricanStudies #SouthAfrica

Join us for "Religion and America at 250," an AAR webinAAR series that will engage central questions around the meaning of religion, the meaning of America, and the intersections of those terms, with special consideration of the 250th anniversary of the United States. aarweb.org/events/event...