Bettina Schmidt
Professor in Study of Religions and Anthropology of Religion
Background
Professor Bettina Schmidt’s academic background is in Cultural Anthropology with a special focus on anthropology of religion and religious experience. She studied at the University of Marburg in Germany where she also obtained her PhD and a post-doctoral degree (“Habilitation”).
In 2004 Bettina moved to the UK and began teaching study of religions, first at Oxford University, then at Bangor University and since 2010 at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.
Over the years, she has been President of the British Association for Study of Religions (BASR) and served as Deputy Chair of the sub-panel Theology and Religious Studies of the Research Excellent Framework (REF) 2021. Since 2021, she been a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales.
Currently, Bettina serves on the boards of editors of various book series published, for instance, by Bloomsbury and Kohlhammer and also advises the research centre Religion and Transformation in Contemporary Society at the University of Vienna.
Specialist Subjects
- Study of religious experience
- Anthropology of religion
- African-derived religions
- Wellbeing and spirituality
- Latin America
Professional and/or Research Experience
A focus in Professor Schmidt’s research activities is on the African diaspora, with ethnographic fieldwork in the Caribbean (her PhD thesis was about religion and identity in Puerto Rico), South America (ie, Ecuador), the US (ie, Caribbean migrants in New York City) and more recently Brazil. In 2010, she studied spirit possession and trance in Brazil (published in her book “Spirits and Trance in Brazil: An Anthropology of Religious Experiences”, Bloomsbury 2016).
Bettina’s current research interest is in the area of spirituality and wellbeing. She has conducted research in Brazil and the UK in order to understand how people working in the medical sector, and people identifying as religious or spiritual, perceive wellbeing and the relationship between the two sectors. More recently, she began a study on spiritual experiences during the pandemic.
Bettina’s current research interest is in the area of spirituality and wellbeing. She has conducted research in Brazil and the UK in order to understand how people working in the medical sector, and people identifying as religious or spiritual, perceive wellbeing and the relationship between the two sectors. More recently, she began a study on spiritual experiences during the pandemic.
Qualifications
- MA in Cultural Anthropology with Study of Religions and African Languages, University of Marburg, Germany
- PhD in Cultural Anthropology, University of Marburg, Germany
- Habilitation (post-doctoral degree) in Cultural Anthropology, University of Marburg, Germany Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales
Languages Spoken
German, English, Spanish, Portuguese
Professional Membership or Roles
British Association for Study of Religions (Secretary 2009-2015, President 2018-2021)
Member of the board of editors of the peer-reviewed journal INDIANA, a journal in the field of Latin American Studies, published in Berlin by the Ibero-American Institute (since 2004)
Member of the board of editors of the journal REVER, Revista de Estudos da Religião, São Paulo (since 2010)
Member of the board of editors of the book series “Die Religionen der Menschheit“ published by Kohlhammer Verlag, Stuttgart
Member of the board of editors of the book series “Critical Studies in Religion/Religionswissenschaft” published by Vandenhoek & Ruprecht Verlag, Göttingen (now Brill)
Member of the board of editors of the book series “Bloomsbury Advances in Religious Studies”
Academic Teaching
External Recognition or Rewards
Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales
Link to Orcid Profile
Professional Publications
- 2020, co-ed. by Jeff Leonardi, Spirituality and Wellbeing: Interdisciplinary approaches to the study of religious experience and health. Sheffield: Equinox.
- 2016, co-ed. with Stephen Engler, Handbook of Contemporary Brazilian Religions (Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion, vol. 13) DenHague: Brill.
- 2016, edited, The Study of Religious Experience: Approaches and Methodologies. Durham: Equinox.
- 2016, Spirits and Trance in Brazil: Anthropology of Religious Experiences. London: Bloomsbury.
- 2025, Axé as the cornerstone of Candomblé philosophy and its significance for an understanding of well-being (bem estar). Religious Studies Vol. 61 (2), 453-465. doi:10.1017/S0034412523001154
- 2025, Trance and Possession Practices. In: The Routledge Handbook of Research Methods in the Study of Indigenous Religions, ed. by Graham Harvey and Afe Adogame. Abington/New York: Routledge, pp. 104-116.
- 2025, Demonic Possession and the Holy Spirit: Insights into the Contested Debate of Ecstatic Religious Experiences in Brazil. In: Bloomsbury Handbook on Religious Ecstasy, edited by Alison Marshall et al. London: Bloomsbury, pp. 177-191.
- 2024, with Kate J. Stockly, Experiences of Divine Bliss, Anger and Evil during the Pandemic: Non-ordinary Experiences during Lockdown. Sociedade e Estado Vol. 39 (3): e53575. DOI: 10.1590/s0102-6992-20243903e53575
- 2024, “It makes me complete” – Anthropological Insights into Spirit Possession as Cultural Practice in Brazil. In: Ideas of Possession: Interdisciplinary and Transcultural Perspectives, edited by N. M. Bauer and J. A. Dooley. Oxford: Oxford University
- 2024, The ‘religio-therapeutic dimension’ of Espiritismo in Brazil and its Place within the Study of Religions. In: Taking Seriously, Not Taking Sides: Challenges and Perspectives in the Study of Religions, (Religion and Transformation in Contemporary Eur
Available to Supervise Doctoral Students
Yes