Haintology & Anancy Webwork
My theoretical work introduces haintology as a diagnostic and prescriptive framework rooted in Gullah cosmological epistemology. It serves to identify and name the 'haints'—the spectral resonances of unmet covenantal obligations—that linger within institutional margins. This is paired with Anancy Webwork, a qualitative methodology that reads the complexity of institutional webs from the inside out, offering a way to untangle systemic trauma and reweave the politics of belonging for Black sacred life.
Harm in the Hush Harbor
Dissertation, 2024. A mixed-methods phenomenological investigation of spiritual trauma within Black Church contexts. This foundational work develops 'haintology' as a distinctive diagnostic and prescriptive framework for understanding institutional harm.
Holy and Haunted
Book in development. An exploration of purity culture in Black churches as a mechanism of racialized social control. This project bridges haintology and Anancy Webwork to analyze the politics of desire and institutional belonging.
Scholarship and Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
Udofia, I. (forthcoming). The Judges Generation: Black Church Sexual Politics in the Age of Digital Purity Culture. Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion. [Accepted; Consent to Publish signed March 11, 2025]
Poole, J. & Udofia, I. (2025). Queer Theories and the Pedagogy of Gender: Gender Inclusive Schools. Philosophy, Theory, & Foundations in Education. https://ptfe.pubpub.org/pub/0mo77mvq
Gowdy, G., Spencer, R., Udofia, I., Fennell, Z., & Jones, A. (2023). Core and Capital Mentoring—in Real Life: A Qualitative Exploration of Different Types of Youth-Initiated Mentoring Relationships With Systems-Involved Youth. Journal of Adolescent Research.
Book Project (In Progress)
Holy & Haunted: Haintology and the Regulation of Black Desire. A scholarly monograph developing a haintology framework that synthesizes conjure epistemology, hauntology, and trauma-informed theory to analyze the governance of desire within Black religious institutional contexts.
Articles Under Review
Udofia, I. (under review). A Communion of the Haints: Governance Formation and the Grammar of the Breach in Black Institutional Life. Submitted for journal consideration.
Udofia, I., Dyson, Y. D., Parker, S. D., & Harrington, L. (under review). Church Hurt as Institutional Formation: Spiritual Harm, Governance, and Disaffiliation Among Black Millennials and Generation Z. Submitted for journal consideration.
Udofia, I., Dyson, Y. D., Parker, S. D., & Harrington, L. (under review). Religious Harm, Institutional Trust, and Black Church Futurity: A Mixed-Methods Womanist Examination of Spiritual Trauma Among Black Millennials and Generation Z. Submitted for journal consideration.
Research Presentations
Selected Conference Presentations
- American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting
- “The Judges Generation: Black Church Sexual Politics in the Age of Digital Purity Culture.” November 2025.
- “Scenes of Subjugation: A Sociotheological Exploration of Religious and Spiritual Violence.” November 2024.
- “Harm in the Hush Harbor: Impact of Religious Trauma on African American Millennials.” November 2023.
- “Spits, Skits, and Spaces: Digital Presence and Spiritual Trauma.” November 2022.
- Council on Social Work Education
- “Phenomenon of Spiritual Trauma Among Black Millennials and Generation Z.” October 2024.
Selected Invited Lectures & Workshops
- Guest Lecturer, Columbia Presbyterian Seminary, March 2026
- “Glitch, Grace, and the Queered Machine: Digital Purity Culture.”
- Keynote Speaker — CAMP C.U.N.T., UNM, April 2025
- “Becoming Divine: Sacred Myths, Orishas, and Black Queer Meaning-Making.”
- Workshop — Meadville Lombard Theological School, January 2025
- “Grief Behind the Veil: Understanding Religious trauma in the Black Church.”