Exploring the Spiritual Significance of Secondhand Religious Artifacts
Thrifting Religion is a multifaceted research project. Since 2021, Dr Campbell has been collecting, examining, and documenting diverse expressions of “secondhand religion”, religious objects that are donated or disposed of and then resold across East Texas and beyond.
Dr Campbell’s interest is in how religious art and sacred objects are given a second life through resale practices and thrift stores. From vintage plaques with religious verses to used bibles and rosaries to used religious kitsch figurines and t-shirts, a variety of examples of religious material culture are often found in local Goodwill, Salvation Army, ReStore, and other independent resale or thrift stores.
The prevalence of these objects, especially in Texas, has drawn Dr Campbell’s attention to what importance or role traditional and contemporary sacred objects play in helping people express and live out their religious identities and beliefs in their everyday lives.
