Rachel

Carbonara

Rachel Carbonara is a doctoral candidate in anthropology and sociology of religion at the University of Chicago. Her research examines energy healing practices and holistic medical philosophies in the modern United States, as well as their relationship to spiritual tourism industries in South America.

Rachel is also associate producer of the podcast Ministry of Ideas, a project of Harvard University. She has produced episodes for a forthcoming series on the relationship between religion and science, to be released between October 2022 and August 2023. Topics include: scientific and religious thinking in Senator Harry Reid’s pursuit of UFO research; the mutual thriving of Hindu ritual and technological innovation in Bangalore, India; the science fiction prophecies of Octavia Butler; and New Age practices of healing through "good vibes." In addition to podcasting, Rachel is currently working as a script writer for the YouTube channel Religion for Breakfast.

Rachel has previously worked as a research fellow on the sixth season of NPR’s Invisibilia podcast. In 2022 Rachel offered an undergraduate course titled "Good Vibes Only: Spiritual Energy Healing and Alternative Medicine in America" as part of a teaching fellowship with the Program on Medicine and Religion at the University of Chicago.

Rachel's research has been supported by grants and fellowships from the Tinker Foundation, the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Chicago, the US Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, the University of Chicago Divinity School, the Institute for the Formation of Knowledge, and the Martin Marty Center for the Public Understanding of Religion.

image: salt mines in Maras, Peru