Elizabeth Sheridan Sperber

Assistant Professor

Professional Biography

Professor Sperber specializes in comparative and international politics, with regional expertise in sub-Saharan Africa. Her first book manuscript offered new theory and original data to explain why Pentecostal Christian movements have emerged as politically salient identities in some -- but not all -- sub-Saharan states. She is currently launching new, community-collaborative research focused on the relationship between religious and political engagement across different Christian groups.

Sperber's work has received awards at both Columbia University and Brown University, and has received significant grant support. At Columbia, Sperber was also awarded a Mellon Interdisciplinary Graduate Research Fellowship through the Interdisciplinary Center for Innovative Theory and Empirics. She has published in journals such as Politics and Religion, the International Journal of Social Policy, the American Journal of Public Health, and the Journal of International Affairs, among others.

Degree(s)

  • Ph.D., Political Science, Columbia University, 2016
  • M.Phil., Political Science, Columbia University, 2011
  • BA, History; Africana Studies; Literatures & Cultures in English, Brown University, 2006