Brett H. Furth

Instructional Assistant Professor
Department of Liberal Studies

To paraphrase the oft-quoted axiom of Anthropology, I believe a key goal of Anthropology is to make the exotic familiar and the familiar exotic.

Learn more about Brett H. Furth

Get To Know Brett H. Furth

What in your life drew you to your current field of study?

I have long been fascinated by ancient and modern religions. This first led me to explore Iron Age Celtic religion through Archaeology, and then to Neo-Pagan religion through Cultural Anthropology.

What do you hope your students gain from studying or working with you?

My greatest hope is that my students will gain a broader perspective about just how diverse human cultures are.

What are you passionate about in your personal life?

Traveling locally and abroad, gardening, religion in general, and my family life.

Publications

Furth, Brett. Forthcoming. Chex Mix and Oxtail Stew: Food and Ghosti in an ADF Grove in Texas. In Feasts of the Gods: Food and Drink in Contemporary Paganism, edited by Scott Simpson. Sheffield, United Kingdom: Equinox Publishing.

Furth, Brett. 2017. Ethnic Neo-Pagan Altars and Ancestors in Texas: An Ethnoreligious Strategy to Reconfigure European Ancestry and Whiteness. Western Folklore 76(3):313-345.

Ginicola, Misty M., Brett H. Furth, and Cheri Smith. 2017. Role of Religion & Spirituality in Counseling the LGBTQI+ Client. In Affirmative Counseling With the LGBTQI+ Population: Current and Emerging Issues, edited by M. Ginicola, J. Filmore, and C. Smith, 297-312. Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.

Presentations

2019 Coming Out of the Broom Closet in Texas: The Challenges of Revealing Neo-Pagan Identities in the Bible Belt. Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association, Vancouver, Canada, November 19-23.
2017 Gods Bless Texas!: Negotiating Neo-Pagan Identities in the Bible Belt. Inaugural Conference on Inclusion & Diversity in Higher Education, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, Texas, April 3-5.
2016 Virtual Ethnography as a Pedagogical Technique. Inaugural Conference of the Society for Anthropology in Community Colleges, Houston, Texas, February 26-27.
2015 The Dilemma of Religious Cultural Appropriation: Divergent Ethnic Neo-Pagan Approaches toward and Justifications for Appropriating from non-European Cultures. Annual Meeting of the American Folklore Society, Long Beach, California,
October 14-17.
2014 At the Crossroads of Antiquity and Modernity: the (Re)construction and Performance of Modern Druidic Rituals in Texas. Annual Meeting of the American Folklore Society, Santa Fe, New Mexico, November 5-8.
2012 Gimme That Real Old Time Religion: Folk History and the Construction of Neo-Pagan Traditions and Identities. Annual Meeting of the American Folklore Society, New Orleans, Louisiana, October 24-27.
2011 Gimme That Real Old Time Religion: Folk History and the Construction of Neo-Pagan Traditions and Identities (A ilot Study). Annual Meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion/ Religious Research Association, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, October 27-30.
2010 Celtic Symbols, Celtic Identities: The Cultural Appropriation of Symbols in Celtic Ethnopagan Traditions. Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association, New Orleans, Louisiana, November 17-21.
2004 Goddess at the Crossroads: The Politics of Religious and Archaeological Validation. Co-presented with Murphy Pizza. Chacmool Archaeological Conference, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, November 11-14.
2004 Rinse, Reuse, and Recycle: the Conflation of Material Culture in Prehistoric and Modern Religions. Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, March 31-April 4.

Grants and Fellowships

2015 Professional Development Grant $600
Bedichek-Orman Faculty Development Fund
Houston Community College
2012 Professional Development Grant $400
Bedichek-Orman Faculty Development Fund
Houston Community College
2012 M. G. Glasscock Graduate Research Fellowship $2,000
Texas A&M University
2012 Department of Anthropology Travel for Research Grant $200
(supplementary award), Texas A&M University
2012 Department of Anthropology Travel for Research Grant $300
Texas A&M University
2011 Graduate Student Council Award, Texas A&M University $500
2010 Department of Anthropology Travel for Research Grant $400
Texas A&M University
2010 M. G. Glasscock Graduate Travel to Conference Grant $350
Texas A&M University
2004 Graduate Student Travel Award $350
University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee
2002-2004 Chancellor’s Fellowship $8,000
University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee

Contact Info

Brett H. Furth
Instructional Assistant Professor
Department of Liberal Studies

Phone: (409) 741-7147

Fax: (409) 740-4962

Classroom Lab Building (CLB), Office 207D