Chandra C. Plowden

Dr. Chandra C. Plowden (she/her/hers) joined the Candler faculty in the fall of 2026. Her research interests focus on Black Southern women’s everyday lives, storytelling, Black Atlantic religions and ethics, and Afro-Protestant religious histories. Additionally, her research and writing are rooted within the African Diaspora—particularly the United States—and intersect the fields of religion, ethics, labor, gender, and sexuality studies.

Plowden’s dissertation, “From Cheap Labor to Good Work: Black Laboring Religious Women’s Organizing and Ethico-Religious Visions in Charleston, SC from 1930 – present,” explores the ethical and religious practices Charleston’s Black women use to see themselves as worthy of labor rights and advocating for improved material conditions. Her latest project—“Standing Up for “Good-Work’”—is a virtual exhibit documenting a 30-year history of working-class Black women’s labor ethics in Charleston, South Carolina, from the 1930s to the 1960s.

CHAPTERS AND ARTICLES

“A Case for Half-Lives: Ten Years after a Charleston Shooting.” American Religion, Fall 2026 (Forthcoming)

“Child Care Assistance in Minnesota: Addressing Structural Racism.” YWCA of Minneapolis; 2012.

DIGITAL EXHIBITS

“Standing up for ‘Good-Work”: A History of Working-Class Black Women’s Labor Ethics.” Spirit House: A Crossroads Project. Crossroads Project at Princeton University; 2023. (Digital Exhibit)