About
Situated at the intersection of religion and political economy, my research investigates how, when, and why states choose to interject into the marketplace of faith. From Timor Leste's post-independence embrace of Catholicism, to Ukraine's sharp restriction of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, state actors' decisions to pick favorites, or stay strategically quiet, reveal multitudes about the intentions, institutions, and actors in power.
Utilizing language skills to leverage fieldwork, I employ multi-method approaches to contemporary puzzles in religious statecraft. Regional and linguistic expertise in East Asia and Eastern Europe have combined with statistical training (such as LLM integration and text-as-data analysis) to open doors to neglected but pressing questions about religion and power in the world's emerging conflict zones.
Prioritizing teaching alongside research, I emphasize enthusiastic participation in the classroom in the face of declining interest, AI conundrums, and declining enrollments. Making students want to learn, push their limits of understanding, and immerse themselves in global politics have been clear goals in my experience at the University of Washington, leading to consistently high rankings by students.
Research
Peer-Reviewed Articles
Fetzer, Joel, and Thomas Bidewell. "An analysis of Timor-Leste’s voting in the United Nations’ General Assembly from 2002 to 2022: economics, politics, or region?." Diálogos 10 (2025): 211-237.
Bidewell, Thomas. "Contradiction and Juche, Philosophical Deviations from Traditional Dialectical Materialism by Kim Il Sung and Mao Zedong Necessitated by Socio-Political Conditions." Global Tides 17, no. 1 (2023): 5.
Under Review
Bidewell, Thomas and Fetzer, Joel. “Timor-Leste’s Balancing Act between China and the United States: An Analysis of Speeches at the United Nations”
Working Papers
Bidewell, Thomas. “Catholicism with Chinese Characteristics: Religious Regulation and the Cost of Governing Christianity in Macau”
Bidewell, Thomas. “Governing Faith Under Fire, Legislating Religion in Wartime Ukraine”
Bidewell, Thomas. “Religion and Cross Strait Relations; a Balancing Act”
Bidewell, Thomas and Fetzer, Joel. “Foreign Policy Formation in Legislatures, an Analysis of Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste, and Indonesia”
Conference Presentations
UPCOMING: American Association for Chinese Studies, Houston, TX. October, 2026. “Catholicism with Chinese Characteristics: Religious Regulation and the Cost of Governing Christianity in Macau”
International Studies Association. Pasadena, CA. September 2026. “Foreign Policy Formation in Legislatures, an Analysis of Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste, and Indonesia”
Asian Studies on the Pacific Coast (ASPAC), California State University, Northridge, CA. June, 2026. “Foreign Policy Formation in Legislatures, an Analysis of Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste, and Indonesia”
Institute for Humane Studies (IHS) Paper Workshop, Seattle, WA. June 2026. “Governing Faith Under Fire, Governing Religion in Wartime Ukraine”
Northwest Regional Conference for Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies (REECAS/ASEES NW), Seattle, WA. April, 2026. “Governing Faith Under Fire, Governing Religion in Wartime Ukraine”
American Association for Chinese Studies, Garden City, NY. 2025 “Timor-Leste’s Balancing Act between China and the United States: An Analysis of Speeches at the United Nations”
American Association for Chinese Studies, Las Vegas, NV. 2024 “An analysis of Timor-Leste’s voting in the United Nations’ General Assembly from 2002 to 2022: economics, politics, or region?”
Midwestern Political Science Association. Chicago, IL. 2024 “An analysis of Timor-Leste’s voting in the United Nations’ General Assembly from 2002 to 2022: economics, politics, or region?”
International Studies Association. Pasadena, CA. 2024. “An analysis of Timor-Leste’s voting in the United Nations’ General Assembly from 2002 to 2022: economics, politics, or region?”
CV
My full CV, including teaching, talks and service, is available as a PDF.
View CV DownloadLast updated October 2026.
Contact
bidewell@uw.edu
Department of Political Science
101 Gowen Hall, Box 353530
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195