About Me: I am a writer and religious studies scholar completing my Master of Divinity (M.Div) at Union Presbyterian Seminary (Richmond, Virginia). I was also recently (2022) a bilateral, graduate exchange student with the Faculty of Theology at the Universität Bern (Switzerland).
My interests cover religious studies, philosophy, theology, and broader theory. I am chiefly fascinated in the modern era and its effects on post-modern and contemporary forms of thought, particularly in the areas of philosophy of religion, ethics, and political theory. More generally, I’m concerned with shifting understandings of religion, affect, subjectivity, history, culture, theology, and aesthetics.
My current focus is the modern relationship between developing forms of nationalism and their theoretical inheritance from Manichaeism (a form of late-Gnosticism emphasizing the nature of reality as a cosmic dualism of light and darkness). In congruence, I’m also giving attention to emerging notions of secularism, nihilism, and theories of culture, language, and media in 19th and 20th century Europe.
I tend to group these foci around three thematic areas:
1) Theory & Affect
2) Religion & Politics
3) Culture & Media
P.S. Much of my actual writing here is just that—writing. Many posts are creative writing exercises that help me synthesize my thoughts. Please don’t take them too seriously. On the other hand, I do hope to share some of my more wholistic or academic work here as well (feel free to reach out if you have questions!). Regardless, thanks for reading.
If you would like to chat, feel free to email me at dakotawesleywade@gmail.com.
Semper Discentes (Latin: “ever learning”)
Thanks,
Dakota
Dakota Wade 