Dr. M. Shawn Copeland
Dr. M. Shawn Copeland is an associate professor of Systematic Theology at Boston College, where she teaches graduate students preparing for the doctorate in Theology and undergraduate students in the PULSE Program and the Interdisciplinary Program in African and African Diaspora Studies (AADS).
M. Shawn Copeland received her Ph.D. in Systematic Theology from Boston College with a dissertation on the notion of the human good in the thought of theologian and philosopher Bernard Lonergan. Before returning to Boston College in 2003 as a faculty member, she taught at St. Norbert College, Yale Divinity School, and Marquette University. In addition, she served for twelve years as an adjunct-faculty member of the Institute for Black Catholic Studies (IBCS) at Xavier University of New Orleans - New Orleans, Louisiana. Copeland lectures frequently on college and university campuses on topics related to theological anthropology, political theology, social suffering, gender and race. At the same time, she is recognized as one of the most important influences in North America in drawing attention to issues surrounding African American Catholics.
Copeland is a prolific author, with more than 100 publications to her credit. She is author of Enfleshing Freedom: Body, Race and Being and The Subversive Power of Love: The Vision of Henriette Delille. She is the principal editor of Uncommon Faithfulness: the Black Catholic Experience and co-editor with Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza of Feminist Theologies in Different Contexts and Violence Against Women both of which have been translated into Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. Copeland is the recipient of several awards including the Yves Congar Award for Excellence in Theology from Barry University, Miami, Florida; the Distinguished Scholar Award from the Black Religious Scholars Group of the American Academy of Religion; and five honorary degrees.