Research Symposium

BIO

Isabella Mynatt is a first-year student at Florida State University, majoring in Economics (Bachelor of Science) with minors in Mathematics and Religion. In high school, she completed the International Baccalaureate program. Through this, she conducted independent research on religious syncretism and class-based practice in medieval Ireland, writing a four-thousand-word research paper on the subject. She is currently conducting undergraduate research through UROP, under the mentorship of Matthew Goff in the Department of Religion. Her academic interests focus on the intersection of economics, religion, and their intersection. After graduating, Isabella plans to pursue a PhD in Economics. Isabella hopes to work in organizations such as the United Nations or the European Union, focusing on macroeconomic policies, or to continue her research career within academia.

Revealing Race, Racing Revelation: Exploring the Intersections Between Race and Apocalypticism

Abstract

Apocalyptic beliefs have been a mainstay of Western religious cultures for centuries, and cultures fighting against Western imperialism. This study has focused on understanding how apocalyptic ideologies have helped create certain racial groups, the appropriation of apocalyptic beliefs, and the conceptualization of race found in historical apocalyptic literature. Apocalyptic beliefs can help the modern world better understand definitions and categories of race from antiquity to the present. Research on this topic is currently being conducted by various academics worldwide, drawing on ethnographies, religious texts, and literature reviews. The framework of the research was thus theoretical. From this, the relationship between religion and race in antiquity has been discovered to have been quite varied; various religions, from Mormonism to Native American practices, have all included some form of apocalyptic beliefs, and race has shown a continued effect on religious interpretations. These results suggest that race and religion are deeply intertwined. In the broader context, this means that more consideration must be taken when studying the effects and interactions with race. Further studies may seek to reveal connections between differing apocryphal beliefs. This research is still ongoing.

Keywords: religion, apocalypse, race