MOONEY, Margarita

Margarita Mooney

Margarita Mooney is an Associate Professor of Congregational Studies at Princeton Theological Seminary and the Founder and Executive Director of Scala Foundation. At Princeton, she teaches classes on philosophy of social science, research methods, religion and resilience and sociology of religion. She received her B.A. in Psychology from Yale University and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from Princeton University. Prior to returning to Princeton in 2016, she held faculty positions at the University of North Carolina and Yale University. Her research, which has been funded by more than $3 million in external research grants from the John Templeton Foundation, lies at the intersection of social sciences, moral philosophy and practical theology.

Her first book, Faith Makes Us Live: Surviving and Thriving in the Haitian Diaspora explores how religious beliefs and practices contribute to the resilience of Haitian immigrants in Miami, Montreal and Paris. Based on research she did with young adults across the United States, she has written articles on the suffering and resilience of people who have experienced trauma. Her work has been featured in online journals such as Public Discourse, Real Clear Policy and Church Life Journal.

Through Scala Foundation, Professor Mooney organizes reading groups, seminars and conferences on classical liberal arts education. Mooney’s work on the importance of beauty to all fields of education, including engineering, was featured in the online blog of Scientific American.