2008 Commencement Speaker

Michelle Maldonado
Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, University of Miami College of Arts and Sciences

Some of the poorest peoples in our hemisphere have rich and profound religious traditions. Michelle Gonzalez Maldonado, an assistant professor of religious studies in the University of Miami’s College of Arts and Sciences, is dedicated to exploring the beauty and diversity of this spiritual heritage.Her work, she says, “is rooted in a strong desire to give voice to the religious expressions of the disenfranchised and marginalized—the ones whose stories are often forgotten or ignored in the great narratives of religious history.”

Born in 1973, Maldonado, whose parents are Cuban-American, grew up in Key Biscayne, Florida. Her family was deeply rooted in its Latin identity and strongly religious. Spanish is Maldonado’s first language; her father, a graduate of the University of Miami’s School of Law, served as a deacon in the Catholic church.

In 1994, after studying as a special student at L’Institute Catholique and Sorbonne Université de Paris, Maldonado earned her B.A. in French literature at Georgetown University, where she was mentored by professor Diana Hayes. “She was the first professor I met who was a woman of color,” she later recalled. “She served as a role model and encouraged me to pursue knowledge in my own culture. That experience is why I am passionate about teaching. You can really open doors.”

Maldonado received a master’s degree in systematic theology from the Union Theological Seminary in 1996. In 2001 she earned her doctorate at the Graduate Theological Union. Her dissertation focused on Sor Juana, an influential religious thinker and writer in 17th-century Mexico. Prior to arriving at the University of Miami, she served as assistant director of the University Honors Program at Loyola Marymount University, assistant professor of theological studies at Loyola Marymount, and theologian-in-residence at San Lucas Toliman Mission in Guatemala.

The author of the highly praised books Created in God’s Image: An Introduction to Feminist Theological Anthropology, Afro-Cuban Theology: Race, Religion, and Identity, and Sor Juana: Beauty and Justice in the Americas, Maldonado has also written some 30 scholarly chapters and articles and made presentations at academic conferences around the nation. She has won fellowships and awards from organizations including the Graduate Theological Union, the Hispanic Theological Initiative, the Fund for Theological Education, and Loyola Marymount University.

Maldonado is currently working on a scholarly survey of Caribbean religions including Santería, Palo Monte, Voodoo, Christianity, and Spiritism. Her next work will look at contemporary Mayan Catholicism in Guatemala. She also plans to continue her exploration of religion in Cuba and its impact on Cuban-Americans’ lives.

Maldonado finds the University of Miami a stimulating setting for her work. “Our location in a city that, more than any other, serves as the U.S. gateway to Latin America is ideal,” she says. “UM is poised to become one of the leading research institutions in the Americas on Caribbean religion, culture, and identity.”

She is especially gratified by her experiences working with the University’s unusually diverse students. “It’s very exciting to have students from nations such as Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Jamaica, Chile, and Peru, all gathered together to learn about their histories and, consequently, their own identities,” she says. “For me, it is vital to be available to students of color and encourage them to pursue their academic and professional aspirations.”

Michelle Maldonado is an outstanding example of a young scholar who has already achieved remarkable distinction in her field by combining intellectual discipline with a passionate spirit of inquiry. The Graduate School takes great pride and pleasure in welcoming her as the speaker for today’s commencement ceremony.