Michael Pasquier
Interim Dean, College of Humanities & Social Sciences | Jaak Seynaeve Professor of Christian Studies | Director, Master of Arts in Liberal Arts Program Louisiana State University
Biography
Dr. Pasquier's work on religion and culture in the Mississippi River Valley has been supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Whiting Foundation.
He has previously served as Director of the Religious Studies Program (2013-2019), Director of the Center for Collaborative Knowledge (2018-2021), the Director of the Master of Arts in Liberal Arts program (2018-2021), and Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies (2021-2022).
Areas of Expertise
Research Focus
American Religious History & Catholicism
Dr. Pasquier’s research centers on American religious history, especially Catholicism and religion in the Mississippi River Valley, and how faith intersects with environmental change in the Gulf South. He blends archival scholarship with oral histories, documentary film, podcasts, and public-humanities exhibits to show how religious communities navigate cultural and ecological transformation.
Accomplishments
Emerging Scholar Rainmaker Award for Research and Creativity
2014
Public Humanities Fellow, The Whiting Foundation, 2017-2018
2017-2018
Education
Florida State University
Ph.D.
Religious Studies
2007
Florida State University
M.A.
Religious Studies
2003
Louisiana State University
B.A.
History & Religious Studies
2002
Media Appearances
America's first pope: What does choice of 'Leo XIV' say about how he wants to lead?
USA Today online
2025-05-08
Prevost's papal name Leo XIV indicates "he's sending a kind of moderate message to the Catholic faithful," says Dr. Michael Pasquier, associate dean in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Louisiana State University.
LSU professor breaks down papal conclave in the Vatican City
Yahoo News online
2025-05-06
Michael Pasquier, Religious studies and history professor at LSU, said hundreds of Catholic Cardinals are waiting to take the seat, held until recently by Pope Francis.
“Right now, there are 252 cardinals around the world, ranging from the age of 100 to 45,” said Pasquier.
Expert explains as papal conclave begins Wednesday in Vatican City
WBRZ 2 ABC tv
2025-05-06
LSU Religious Studies professor Michael Pasquier said Conclave translates to “under lock and key”. Pasquier said more than 100 cardinals from around the world will come together in private to begin the election process.
Dr. Michael Pasquier Interview on Pope Francis
FOX 8 Live tv
2025-04-22
[no abstract available]
Bishop of Alexandria reflects on legacy of Pope Francis
KALB online
2025-04-21
“He was a pope who really, not that popes don’t take the role of pastor and shepherd seriously, but Pope Francis really took that to heart,” said Michael Pasquier, associate dean of LSU’s College of Humanities & Social Sciences. “He started that whenever he took the name Francis from Saint Francis of Assisi, who is a saint known to prioritize the poor, the marginalized, the environment, and the basic humanity of all of us, which I think does say a lot about the basic style and the basic message that he tried to convey in his thoughts and his deeds.”
‘It’s Numbing’: Nine Retired Nuns in Michigan Die of Covid-19
The New York Times online
2021-04-01
Michael Pasquier, a professor of religious studies and history at Louisiana State University, said the interest in pursuing an institutional religious life has tapered off since the 1960s, an era of cultural changes that brought more women into the work force. There are now about 40,000 Roman Catholic nuns or sisters in the country — mostly in their mid- to late 70s and older — compared with about 160,000 in the 1970s, he said.
Articles
Missionaries, Martyrdom, and Warfare in French Colonial Louisiana, 1699-1764
The Catholic Historical Review2019
Flooded Catholicism: Disaster and Prayer in Coastal Louisiana
Exchange2019
In 2016 a massive rain storm flooded over 75,000 structures throughout Louisiana, contributing to the deaths of thirteen people and transforming the lives of thousands of victims. A representative of the Red Cross described the event as "the worst [natural disaster] to hit the United States since Superstorm Sandy." Prayer during times of disaster is something to be expected. By listening to Catholics talk about praying and flooding in Louisiana, one can witness the breakdown of the Catholic Church's theological and devotional prescriptions for prayer. The multivalence and diversity of prayer is on display in the lives and memories of those who flooded, challenging the notion that there is some kind of distinctly Catholic imagination that equips Catholics with the wherewithal to navigate the natural and supernatural tumult of something like a flood.
Research Grants
Start-Up Grant
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
2019-2021
Public Engagement Fellowship
The Whiting Foundation
2017-2018
Media
