Laurel Marshall Potter works between systematic and constructive theology, focusing on the contemporary development of Latin American liberation theologies toward intercultural, interreligious, and decolonial expressions. Laurel's current project looks to the extraordinary liturgical expressions of ecclesial base communities in El Salvador today. Drawing on qualitative data gathered by way of collaborative, community-based research, the project seeks to compare the magisterial reception of the Second Vatican Council on liturgical inculturation to the communities' own experiences. Laurel's previous work on liberation theologies and contemporary ecclesial base communities has appeared in several academic and public-facing publications, including the co-authored book Re-membering the Reign of God: The Decolonial Witness of El Salvador's Church of the Poor (Lexington Books, 2022, with Elizabeth O'Donnell Gandolfo). Laurel lived and worked in El Salvador and elsewhere in Central America before returning to the U.S. for doctoral studies. Currently, Laurel lives in St. Paul with her spouse where they enjoy playing with their dog, fermenting food and drink, and getting to know the surrounding lakes and forests.
Laurel Marshall Potter
Assistant Professor
Theology
- Education
PhD, Boston College (Systematic and Comparative Theology)
MA, Universidad Centroamericana Jose Simeón Cañas (San Salvador)
BA, Saint Louis University
- Research Interests
- Latin American Catholicism and liberation theology, decolonial studies, ecclesiology, liturgy, comparative theology and theological method