Jonese Austin, MDiv

Deirdre “Jonese” Austin, MDiv, is a scholar, writer, minister and womanist committed to promoting liberation, healing and wholeness in her work around religion and bodies and sexuality. She is a 2022 graduate of Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, and she is a current doctoral student in Duke University’s Cultural Anthropology program, pursuing certificates in African and African American Studies and Feminist Studies. Her doctoral work explores how Black Christian women come to understand their bodies and sexuality and heal from religious trauma, such as that developed in purity culture, through dance, in sacred and secular spaces. You can learn more about her and read her writing at DeirdreJoneseAustin.com.