Shayla F. Olson

terrified of being playlist-doxxed and the world finding out that JD Vance and I share an affinity for 2009 era Bieber and early (pre-Zayn exit) 1D. In my defense, I was in middle school

took this pic last week. "How can I get involved on campus without talking to anyone?" social capital final boss

Essentially, I argue that these connections between religion and race are not just found in extremist views or explicit endorsements of the Christian Nationalist label, but are widespread among a substantial number of white American Christians.

This is related to White Christian Nationalism. My work focuses on the formation of white Christians' (racialized) attachment to their religious group, which may then cause them to endorse Christian Nationalist views in order to grab power for their group.

Consequently, any measures designed to tackle racial inequality are not seen as wrong just because they may threaten one's racial group status. They are also perceived by many white Christians as counter to their idea of good Christianity.

This is reinforced through messages from religious and political elites. Being a good Christian requires being "colorblind." Racism is seen as individual acts of prejudice divorced from history, institutions, and power.

I argue that white Christians' (WC) relig identity and racial attitudes are tightly linked. The way that WC's relig identities are formed encourage a view that there is only one identity that matters (Christian) and any focus on other identities (e.g. race) is incompatible to good Christianity.

Interesting article and great thread by Andrew!

While I take a slightly different spin, my dissertation speaks to these exact topics! Brief thread on my work:

(Also, I'm on the job market!)

Expecting my first child and I’ve added your first two children’s books to my kid’s library. Excited to add this one in the fall!

Professor Thorp! Hurrah!

Happy to have contributed a chapter w/ @equezada.bsky.social to this edited volume. Check out the thread for a brief overview of the volume, links to the book (and audiobook!), and a review

How Do White Churches Talk about Racism? - Center for Political Studies (CPS) Blog After the murders of George Floyd and Breanna Taylor by the police in 2020, the United States witnessed what was arguably the largest protest movement in that nation's history. Millions of Americans m...

In my first ever Bluesky post, I'm pleased to share a glimpse into some of the research I've been doing on U.S. sermons! Check out this CPS blog post to see my analysis of how clergy talk about racism: cpsblog.isr.umich.edu?p=3197