Biography
Ristina Gooden (she/her) is a pleasure advocate who focuses her work on creating new frameworks of sacred rhetoric that interweave pleasure, agency, and wholeness for Black women. Using Black women’s music and storytelling, she seeks to engage pleasure in new and life-giving ways to counteract the narrative that pleasure is excessive, unproductive, and sinful.
A preacher, baker, writer, and avid reader, Ristina is currently a doctoral student in the Graduate Department of Religion at Vanderbilt University, concentrating on homiletics and liturgics.
Ristina’s byline has appeared in Geez Magazine. She has also served as a contributing author in Building Beyond the 9 to 5: Inspirational Lessons from Successful Black Women (Independent, 2021). Ristina was also included in the anthologies, Theology and Protest Music (Fortress Academic, 2023) and Preaching During the Pandemic: The Rhetoric of the Black Preaching Tradition (Peter Lang, 2023).
The proud daughter of Reginald and Ronda Gooden, and aunt to Amara and Jamarr Jr., Ristina originates from Cleveland, Ohio, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management from The Ohio State University and a Master of Divinity from Vanderbilt Divinity School. Raised in Antioch Baptist Church, Ristina was licensed in ministry in March 2020.
Candidate Statement
Arriving at the 2022 AAR Annual Meeting was breathtaking. My heart fluttered and my mind raced as I rushed from session to session. I was overjoyed to sit in the same room as scholars whose work I had encountered and referenced in my academic inquiries. Each of them were warm and inviting each time I introduced myself. They all genuinely took an interest in my work and encouraged me to reach out. Those connections have transformed me as a scholar and soon-to-be colleague. This is the importance of AAR. Our work is alive because of each other. Our collegiality ripples out into our communities and world, producing dynamic scholarship. AAR is fertile ground for deeper conversations and new understandings, making way for what's to come.
As student director, I am committed to continuing the important work of building upon what makes AAR effectively necessary while also dedicating my term to amplifying the needs and concerns of graduate students. The study of religion and the academy are rapidly changing and new challenges arise daily. While I want to leave space for what may come, I would like to invest my time in two areas of interest.
The first is fostering race, gender, sexuality, class, age, and religious beliefs inclusivity. In the aftermath of SCOTUS eviscerating Affirmative Action, sweeping trans bans, and the continuous rise of Christian nationalism, we are at a crossroads. These actions give permission to no longer care about beings different from us. This is the moment when we are either steadfast in our commitment to inclusion or we are not. Making this declaration of commitment reflects who we are accountable to and what is required to ensure the flourishing of those with whom we are in community. Fostering inclusivity now through intentional engagement with one another allows us the ability to cultivate an authentically welcoming environment for all.
The second is reimagining career trajectories for graduate students. As a second-career student, I arrive with a fresh perspective of what feels possible within and outside academia. The challenges that graduate students face amid declining traditional job prospects require curiosity and ingenuity. AAR must provide resources for new pathways to be unearthed and celebrate the emerging vocations that will transform our discipline and world. The reimaging process expands the field to include new modalities of being religious scholars. Through networking and mentorship with those within and outside the society, graduate students can think creatively about their future careers and contributions to the greater world. Committing to this reimagining practice will foster a broader understanding of religion's role in society beyond the academy's walls. This will encourage more robust scholarship and engagement.
The work of AAR, the study of religion, and humanity never ends. And yet, we have the opportunity to affect change at this moment that will be a catalyst for a better world. I would be honored to sojourn with fellow graduate students and future colleagues as the student director. Together we flourish.