“She will be a fabulous addition to our faculty and resource for our students”
March 2023 – After an extensive search, Drew Theological School is pleased to welcome Dr. Elaina Nogueira-Godsey as assistant professor of religion and society, starting in fall 2023.
Nogueira-Godsey currently serves as assistant professor of theology, ecology, and race at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio (MTSO), a position she has held since 2017.
“Dr. Elaine Nogueira-Godsey’s expertise in intersecting decolonial and ecofeminist methods of research and teaching, including religion, gender/sexuality, economics, and race—particularly her advancing knowledge and experience from the global south—resonates deeply with Drew’s core values,” said Dean Edwin David Aponte. “The Theological School faculty expressed their excitement about all that Dr. Nogueira-Godsey will bring to the Theological School. We are thrilled to welcome her to the Drew community.”
Nogueira-Godsey’s research focuses on the development of ecological ethics and decolonial methods of research in relation to the study of religion and ecofeminist theology.
“We are truly excited about how the combination of Dr. Nogueira-Godsey’s particular scholarly gifts, theological school teaching experience, and overall deeply intersectional eco-feminist, global south commitments emerged as an outstanding fit for Drew in this moment,” said Traci West, James W. Pearsall Professor of Christian Ethics and African American Studies and chair of the search committee. “She will be a fabulous addition to our faculty and resource for our students.”
Beyond her 15 years of teaching experience at MTSO, the Faculdade Teológica D’Oeste do Brasil, and the University of Cape Town, Nogueira-Godsey has served at the Junta de Missões Mundiais doing missionary work with Angolan and Mozambican refugees in South Africa. She was awarded two Postdoctoral Research Fellowships: South African National Research Foundation (NRF) at the University of Cape Town and the University of Johannesburg.
Nogueira-Godsey also co-chairs the American Academy of Religion/Society of Biblical Literature Women’s Caucus. She is a board member of the International Society for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture and an assistant editor for the Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture.
“I look forward to teaching intellectually curious students from around the world and working with globally respected scholars who are invested in their students’ learning,” said Nogueira-Godsey. “Drew’s commitment to live out a theology that generates community and an ethics of care in their pursuit of a just world became clear during my visit.”
Nogueira-Godsey earned a PhD in Religious Studies and an MA of Social Science in Religious Studies from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and a BA from Faculdade Teológica D’Oeste do Brasil in Campo Grande, Brazil.
An accomplished author, Nogueira-Godsey has published many book chapters and journal articles, including “Tangible Actions Toward Solidarity: An Ecofeminist Analysis of Women’s Participation in Food Justice” and “Towards a Decological Praxis.” In addition, she is turning her PhD dissertation, “The Ecofeminist Theology of Ivone Gebara,” into a book and is working on Rethinking Ecofeminism and Religion: A Decological Perspective, a book anticipated to be published in 2024.
