Rooted in Community, Reaching into History: Sarah Adegbite, MTS ’26, on Her Academic Journey
At Harvard Divinity School, Sarah Adegbite explored the religious histories of slavery and the power of ritual—and will continue that work at Harvard as a PhD student.
When Sarah Adegbite began asking questions about faith, history, and power as an undergraduate, she didn’t yet know those questions would carry her across continents—and ultimately keep her at Harvard for the next chapter of her academic life.
Now graduating with a Master of Theological Studies (MTS) degree from Harvard Divinity School (HDS), Adegbite will remain at Harvard this fall to begin a PhD in religion, continuing the work that has defined her time at HDS: studying the religious histories of slavery and how enslaved communities used faith, ritual, and community to endure and resist oppression.
Formative Questions and a Deepening Sense of Purpose
Adegbite’s academic journey began at the University of Cambridge, England, where she studied theology and first encountered questions that would shape her future research. A course on “decolonizing Christendom” proved especially formative, opening new lines of inquiry around colonialism, race, and mission history. “It felt like the most important thing for me to be studying,” she recalled.
After graduating, she traveled to Nigeria, working with Wycliffe Bible Translators and exploring how local communities integrate language, culture, and artistic practice into religious life. The experience deepened her connection to her Nigerian heritage while sharpening her academic focus. “I kept having this sense that I wanted to study these questions more deeply,” she said.
While in Nigeria, she learned she had been admitted to HDS. Upon reflection of that moment, she said, “It really felt like a path that was right.”
At HDS, Adegbite’s interests evolved into a focused study of slavery, ritual, and the Black Atlantic world. Her research explored how enslaved communities in the Caribbean practiced Christianity—particularly through sacraments—while also bringing their own cultural and spiritual traditions into those rituals. “I’m interested in the ways enslaved people participated in ritual practice and also reimagined it,” she explained.
A key moment came during her first year, when a faculty lecture on archival research and the history of slavery helped clarify both the intellectual and human stakes of her work. “What does it mean to write about people who lived and died under such violent conditions?” she asked. “You have to approach it with a real sense of care.”
"To continue this work in the same place, with the same community, feels really important."
Finding Community and Purpose
When she first arrived at HDS, she found herself wrestling with questions of belonging and responsibility. “Who am I doing this work for?” she wondered. Over time, she came to see her community as spanning multiple spaces: her family, her church, her connections to Nigeria, and broader Black communities across the United States and the United Kingdom. That evolving sense of accountability now shapes both her scholarship and her sense of purpose. “I want to do this work in a community that I feel accountable to,” she said.
Outside the classroom, Adegbite put that commitment into practice through community-based work, including an internship with the Boston Faith & Justice Network, where she supported chaplaincy in emergency shelters. “When you show up consistently in a place where nothing else is consistent, that matters,” she said.
She also contributed to Harvard’s Legacy of Slavery initiative, leading tours that invite participants to engage more directly with the university’s ties to slavery.
Alongside this work, Adegbite also found creative and spiritual practices that connected closely to her academic interests. She co-founded 300 Words, a student writing group that produces poetry and prose and recently published a literary magazine. For her, writing in community became its own kind of ritual. “It’s about paying attention to the world, to other people, and to what you’re trying to say,” she explained.
That attentiveness is reflected in her faith life as well, particularly in communal practices like communion when churches gather in fellowship for a ritual meal in remembrance of Christ. “It’s a way of being present to God, to yourself, and to others,” she said.
Carrying the Work Forward at Harvard
Now, as she prepares to begin her PhD at Harvard, Adegbite views her next chapter as a continuation and deepening of the work she began at HDS. “I’ve been able to develop these questions here, with faculty who have really shaped my thinking,” she said. “To continue this work in the same place, with the same community, feels really important.”
Reflecting on her decision to pursue doctoral study, she added, “It feels like there’s no better set of questions for me to be asking over the next few years.” While the path ahead is long, Adegbite remains grounded in the practices that have sustained her: relationships, ritual, and careful attention to the past.
“It can feel daunting to think about the whole journey,” she said. “But taking it one step at a time—and doing it in a community I care about—feels right.”
Banner photo by Alex Bayer.