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Virginia White

Headshot of a woman with shoulder length red hair and glasses, among trees.
Contact

Emailvjwhite@uchicago.edu

LocationSwift Hall

Areas of Study and Research

Religious Ethics

Theology

Fellows, Faculty Divinity School Teaching Fellow in the College

Virginia White is a social ethicist and constructive theologian. Her work draws upon critical, feminist, and queer theories alongside literature, ritual studies, and moral philosophy to articulate practices for ethical living in the face of contemporary crises. Her current project examines how tragic and comedic narratives foster critical consciousness about environmental, economic, and social-political challenges, and in turn, promote transformative ways of being. 

An ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), White is passionate about identifying and amplifying the important work of religious communities in justice struggles, while also reckoning with the legacies of violence they have, at times, left behind. Her articles in preparation synthesize this scholarship with her pastoral and advocacy experience to elaborate lament and laughter as promising reparative practices for those who find themselves entangled with such ambiguous inheritances. Further, it highlights the power of lament and laughter in supporting faith-based advocacy, mutual aid, and cross-cultural collaboration despite systemic obstacles, tragic dilemmas, and psychospiritual wounds. 

Passionate about bridging the academy, faith-communities, and the general public, White looks forward to continued participation in the Divinity School’s Living Well During Climate Change Project and to grounding her teaching and research in the rich resources of campus and the broader city of Chicago. As a teacher, she equips learners to think critically about religion, philosophy, and narrative, and to employ cultural criticism in responding to today’s challenges with creativity and wisdom. She is particularly excited to offer courses at the intersection of gender, sexuality, politics, and religion and to engage with the exceptionally curious undergraduates of the University of Chicago. 

White earned her Ph.D. in Theological Ethics from the University of Chicago Divinity School in 2025. She also holds a Master of Divinity from the Divinity School. She is a proud graduate of Rice University, in her home state of Texas, where she studied Sociology and History.