Rob Brenneman

Rob was drawn to sociology because he loves sociology’s knack for “making the strange familiar” — that is, helping people understand (though not necessarily “excuse”) actions and behaviors that seem “crazy,” “ignorant,” or “just plain wrong.” That curiosity led him to research the gangs of Central America, leading to his first book, “Homies and Hermanos: God and Gangs in Central America,” which takes a close look at the lives of 63 former gang members, many of whom joined a church as part of their attempt to leave the gang. Fully bilingual and widely published on matters of gangs and violence in Central America, Rob has provided expert witness testimony in more than a dozen asylum cases involving Central American gangs. He also loves teaching, especially when it comes to helping CJRJ and Sociology majors “find their calling” in ways that meet a need and provide a professional satisfaction and growth.

Education

• B.A. Eastern Mennonite University, 1997
• M.A., University of Notre Dame, 2005
• PhD, University of Notre Dame, 2010

BOOKS

Brenneman, Robert and Brian Miller. 2020. Building Faith: A Sociology of Religious Architecture. New York: Oxford University Press.

Brenneman, Robert. 2012. Homies and Hermanos: God and Gangs in Central America. New York: Oxford University Press.

REFEREED ARTICLES

Brenneman, Robert. Under Review. “Feeling College Writing: Emotional Dynamics of First Year Composition for Bilingual Hispanic Students.”

Brenneman, Robert. 2026. “Organized Crime, Disorganized Responses: New Researchon Gangs and Organized Crime in Latin America.” Latin American Research Review.August 3. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/lar.2026.10155

Eash-Scott, Daniel, Daniel Stoltzfus, and Robert Brenneman. 2023. “The Graves Cannot Be Dug Fast Enough: Excess Deaths among US Amish and Mennonites during the 1918 Flu Pandemic.” Journal of Religion and Health. 2023 September 1.

Brenneman, Robert. 2018. “La desigualdad asegurada: una etnografía de la seguridad privada en Guatemala.” Estudios Centroamericanos 73:25-44.

Brenneman, Robert and Brian Miller. 2016. “When Bricks Matter: Four Arguments for the Sociological Study of Religious Buildings.” Sociology of Religion 77:82-101.

Brenneman, Robert. 2015. “¡Solo pajas! Volver a un Sitio de Campo Desordenado.” In SENDAS. 2:39-54. Instituto de Investigaciones del Hecho Religioso, Universidad Rafael Landívar, Guatemala City.

Brenneman, Robert. 2014. “Wrestling the Devil: Conversion and Exit from the Central American Gangs.” Latin American Research Review. Vol. 49, Special Issue.

Brenneman, Robert. 2009. “Embodied Forgiveness: John H. Yoder and the (Body) Politics of Footwashing,” The Mennonite Quarterly Review. 83:7-28.

BOOK CHAPTERS

Brenneman, Robert. 2021. “Gifts, Weapons, and Values: The Language of Spirituality in 21st Century Central America.” In Situating Spirituality: Context Practice and Power. Ed. By Brian Steensland, Jaime Kucinskas, and Anna Sun. New York: Oxford University Press.

Brenneman, Robert. 2018. “Victimas y victimarios: Los retos de estudiar la pandilla en Centroamérica.” Pp. 293-315 in Rostros de la violencia en Centroamerica: abordajes y experiencias desde la investigación social. ed. by Daniel Nuñez. Guatemala: FLACSO – Mercy Corps.

Brenneman, Robert. 2016. “Violence, Religion, and Institutional Legitimacy in Northern Central America.” Pp. 371-394 in Religious Responses to Violence in Latin America: Human Rights in Latin America Past and Present. Ed. Alexander Wilde. Notre Dame, IN: Notre Dame Press.

Brenneman, Robert. 2015. “Violencia, Religión y Legitimidad Institucional al Norte de Centroamérica.” Pp. 381-404 in Las Iglesias ante La Violencia en América Latina: Los derechos humanos en el pasado y el presente. Ed. Alexander Wilde. Mexico City, MX: FLACSO-Mexico.

Brenneman, Robert and Adriana García. 2014. “Latin American Youth Gangs.” In Oxford Handbook of Criminology and Criminal Justice. (Oxford Handbooks Online) Ed. Michael Tonry. New York: Oxford University Press.

Brenneman, Robert. 2011. “Evangelical Movements” in Encyclopedia of Global Religion. eds. Wade Clark Roof and Mark Juergensmeyer. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

GRANTS AWARDED

C. Henry Smith Lectureship for research on Anabaptist Peacebuilding in Central America.

Fulbright Teaching/Research Award for nine-month teaching and research fellowship in Guatemala City (2016-2017).

Jack Shand Research Grant from the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion for research on the sociology of religious buildings in Guatemala (2017-18).