Faculty
James C. Cavendish
Associate Professor
CONTACT
Office: CPR 215
Phone: (813) 974-2517
Email
BIO
James C. Cavendish (Ph.D., 1997, University of Notre Dame) is Associate Professor of Sociology at the 草莓视频. His research has been largely motivated by his interests in the sociology of religion, social movements, social inqualities, and race and ethnicity. Earlier in his career, he explored the intersection of religion and social movements in several specific cases: the influence of Christian base communities in movements for democratization in Latin America; women鈥檚 movements within U.S. religious denominations to expand leadership roles for women; and the involvement of U.S. religious congregations in urban renewal projects, anti-drug initiatives, and assistance and resettlement programs for new immigrants. He has also been interested in how minority religious, racial, and ethnic identities have been the objects of prejudice, discrimination, or violence, as seen in his research on hate crimes against Arab and Muslim Americans in the U.S., or in his study of racial prejudices among U.S. Catholics, a study commissioned by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops as they implemented new strategies to promote inclusion within the U.S. Catholic Church. Scholarly articles produced from these research projects have been published in a variety of peer-reviewed journals, including Social Problems, the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Sociology of Religion, Review of Religious Research, Social Psychology Quarterly, Social Science Quarterly, and American Catholic Studies. Collectively, they have received over 1,100 citations, according to Google Scholar.
Most recently, James was engaged in a broad sociological study of American Catholics, focusing not only on their religious beliefs and practices, but also on their attitudes about a variety of social and political issues. This research resulted in a co-authored book titled Catholicism at a Crossroads: The Present and Future of America鈥檚 Largest Church, which was published by New York University Press in 2025. This book was the result of a several-years-long study of members and leaders of the Catholic Church in the United States, involving both a nationwide survey of over 1,500 adult Catholics and about 60 intensive interviews with church leaders. Since the time of its publication, the book has received very favorable reviews for providing an 鈥渋mportant sociological overview鈥� of American Catholics鈥� beliefs and attitudes in the midst of the challenges presented by recent demographic changes, political polarization, and racial unrest within the United States. Within the first several months of its publication, it sold over 500 copies.
James envisions his future research to focus on one or more of the following topics: 1) whether and how the resources of religions -- from religious beliefs to religious organizational resources -- can be harnessed to address polarization within their own religious bodies and in society in general; 2) to describe the involvement of religious organizations in various environmental initiatives, from conservation to community gardening and food sovereignty; and 3) to map the efforts of individuals and organizations to provide care to the unhoused populations of Central and South Florida and to understand how religious values and a belief in our common humanity may help to sustain these initiatives.
In addition to his teaching and research, James has contributed to the department and to the academic profession in a variety of ways. He served as chair of USF's Department of Religious Studies from 2014-2016 and of USF's Department of Sociology from 2016-2020. He has also served as: President of the Association for the Sociology of Religion (2019-2021); Executive Officer of the Association for the Sociology of Religion (2012-2016); Editorial Board Member for the journals Sociology of Religion, Review of Religious Research, and the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion; and Program Chair and Treasurer for the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion and the Association for the Sociology of Religion. James also serves local faith-based communities as a board member of the Franciscan Retreat Center in Tampa and as a member of the Social Justice Committee of Sacred Heart Catholic parish in downtown Tampa.
In 2021, while serving as president of the Association for the Sociology of Religion, James delivered a presidential address titled "Religion as a Resource in an Increasingly Polarized Society," which highlights various ways that religious traditions and congregations can, in certain circumstances, work to effectively bridge the divides evident in our current political climate.
EDUCATION
Ph.D., University of Notre Dame, 1997