Bushman Professor of Mormon Studies
University of Virginia
Professor Flake’s research focuses on the adaptive strategies of 19th and 20th century American religious communities and the affect of pluralism on religious identity, as well as the constructive function of text and ritual in maintaining and adapting the religious identity. In the area of American Legal History, she studies the influence of American law on American religion and the theological tensions inherent in the First Amendment religious clauses. Her current project is “Mormon Matriarchy, a Study of Gendered Power in Antebellum America.” Prior to her appointment at Virginia, she taught at Vanderbilt University in both the Divinity School and Graduate Department of Religion. Before becoming an academic, she litigated cases on behalf of the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Washington, D.C.