A Conversation with Jeff Sharlet

Jeff Sharlet is one of the most important contemporary chroniclers of Christian nationalism. In works of immersive investigative journalism – from (which has been made into a multipart Netflix docuseries) to his most recent book, the New York Times bestseller – he has charted the ways that particular forms of Christianity are braided into U.S. political life, reaching the highest levers of power. Organized around a series of “dispatches” (from on the ground coverage of Trump rallies in the 2016 and 2020 elections to interviews with pastors and members of right-wing militia churches), The Undertow takes us into the lives of everyday believers, their sorrows, hopes, and angers, and shows how they are magnetized into the fever dream of an America made great again through the figure of Trump.

In these still-early months of the second Trump administration, join us for this important and timely discussion about Christian nationalism, the appeal of authoritarian fascism, and the excitement of getting to hate in the name of love. Jeff Sharlet will be joined in conversation by Ann Pellegrini, Professor and Chair of Performance Studies. The event is cosponsored by the Department of Performance Studies and NYU”s Center for Religion and Media.

Jeff Sharlet is the New York Times bestselling author or editor of eight books. His latest is (2023), a National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist for Nonfiction, one of The New York Times 100 Books of the Year, and a New Republic book of the year. In 2020, he published . "Gorgeous," , "[t]he book ingeniously reminds us that all of our lives — our struggles, desires, grief — happen concurrently with everyone else's, and this awareness helps dissolve the boundaries between us." Sharlet's other books include , , -- the basis for a 2019 , of which he is narrator and executive producer -- and, with Peter Manseau, ; and two edited volumes, , and (with Manseau) . His writing on Russia's anti-LGBTQ crusade earned the National Magazine Award for Reporting, and his writing on anti-LGBT campaigns in Uganda earned the Molly Ivins Prize and the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission's Outspoken Award, among others. He has also been the recipient of numerous fellowships from MacDowell. Sharlet is an editor-at-large for , and is or has been a contributing editor for , and , and a contributor to publications including , , , , , and others. At Dartmouth College, he is the publisher of .

Photo courtesy of Julia Rabig, book cover courtesy of W.W. Norton.

Host or Publisher NYU’s Performance Studies Department