Ecclesiastical History Society

In this episode, we are joined by Professor Emma Wild-Wood. Emma is Professor of African Religions and World Christianity and Co-director of the Centre for the Study of World Christianity at the University of Edinburgh. Her work includes research on religious encounters in East-Central Africa, particularly Christian conversion and the growth of mission-initiated denominations from 1800 to the present day and faith and health in East-Central Africa. You can read more of her research in her books Migration and Christian Identity in Congo (DRC) and The Mission of Apolo Kivebulaya: Religious Encounter and Social Change in the Great Lakes c. 1865–1935 (which has an accompanying source book).  

In this episode, we speak with Distinguished Professor Emerita Merry Wiesner-Hanks (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) about her research on gender, world history, and the Reformations. Merry is the Senior Editor of the Sixteenth Century Journal and the author and editor of over forty books and articles. Her most recent book isWomen and the Reformations: A Global History, which will be available as an audiobook this summer.

In this episode, we speak with Professor Miri Rubin (Queen Mary University of London) about her research on the study of social relations and religious cultures of medieval Europe. Miri has been a frequent guest on BBC Radio and other popular podcasts, and she is the current President of the Jewish Historical Society of England, a position she has held since January 2020.She is the author of books on a wide range of topics, mostrecently, Cities of Strangers. Making Lives in Medieval Europe (CUP, 2020).Professor Rubin will become the EHS President for the 2026-27 term.

This month we are delighted to welcome Professor Peter Marshall (University of Warwick) to the podcast. Peter was the President of the Ecclesiastical History Society in 2023-24. His main research interests focus on religious belief and practice in early modern Britain and Europe, particularly the cultural and political impact of the English Reformation. He is the author of an astonishing number of books, including his most recent monograph on Orkney, entitledStorm's Edge: Life, Death and Magic in the Islands of Orkney (2024). In this episode, we talk about Orkney's history, the difficulties and joys of writing a microhistory, and take a deeper dive into early modern ghost stories (read his book Mother Leakey and the Bishop. A Ghost Story for a great example).

In this month's episode we interview Dr Laura Sangha (Associate Professor at the University of Exeter) about her research on angels and other supernatural beings. We also hear about her work as a Co-Investigator on the Leverhulme Project 'The Material Culture of Wills, England 1540-1790'. If you would like to volunteer with the project, you can find more information here.

On this episode of 'Talking with Religious Historians', we speak with Professor Euan Cameron (Union Theological Seminar). He speaks with us about his favourite research projects, why he's interested in the interaction between beliefs and human personalities, and his advice on presenting research in accessible ways. You can read more about his research in his books Interpreting Christian History (2005) and Enchanted Europe: Superstition, Reason and Religion c. 1250-c. 1750 (2010).

On this month's episode, we are joined by Professor Emerita Rosamond McKitterick. Listen as we discuss Rosamond's research into the Frankish kingdoms, her latest book Rome and the Invention of the Papacy: The liber pontificalis, and her advice for learning paleography.

Professor Crawford Gribben (Queen's University Belfast) joins us for July's episode. Crawford is an historian of early modern religion, and we discuss the politics of dispensationalism, crafting book reviews, and podcasting platforms. To learn more about Crawford's research, pick up a copy of his most recent book, J.N. Darby and the Roots of Dispensationalism (Oxford University Press, 2024).

In this episode, we are joined by Dr Alison Knight. Dr Knight is Senior Lecturer in Early Modern Studies in the English Department at Royal Holloway University of London. We discuss her expertise in various understandings of the Bible in the early modern period and her best advice on how to apply for academic fellowships. Her first monograph The Dark Bible: Cultures of Interpretation in Early Modern England (OUP, 2022), co-winner of the Ecclesiastical History Society's 2023 Book Prize, explores approaches to biblical obscurity in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century England.  

In this month's episode, we are joined by Professor Hilary Carey. Professor Carey is Professor of Imperial and Religious History at the University of Bristol with expertise in the history of global empires. In this episode, we discuss her current projects related to British imperialism and her advice on putting together applications for academic projects. Her most recent book Empire of Hell (CUP, 2019), winner of the Kay Daniels prize, provides a religious history of the campaign to end the transportation of British and Irish convicts.  

In this episode, we talk with Professor Giles Gasper ⁠⁠(Durham University) about his recent research and advice on academic projects. Giles is principal investigator on the inter-disciplinary Ordered Universe project to edit, translate and contextualise the scientific works of Robert Grosseteste (c.1170-1253).

In this episode, we talk with ⁠Professor Catherine Rider ⁠(University of Exeter) about her recent research and public outreach. Catherine Rider's recently co-edited the book ⁠Magic in Malta: Sellem bin al-Sheikh Mansur and the Roman Inquisition, 1605⁠ (2022). She is also the author of numerous books and articles, including ⁠Magic and Religion in Medieval England ⁠(2012) and ⁠Magic and Impotence in the Middle Ages⁠ (2006).

This episode's guest is Professor Christopher Bellitto (Kean University). He is Professor of History at Kean University in New Jersey and a specialist in the Middle Ages, church history and reform. He serves as series Editor in Chief of Brill's Companions to the Christian Tradition and Academic Editor at Large for Paulist Press. His publications include Humility: The Secret History of a Lost Virtue (Georgetown University Press, 2023), Ageless Wisdom: Lifetime Lessons from the Bible (Paulist Press, 2016), and 101 Questions and Answers on Popes and the Papacy (Paulist Press, 2008).

In this episode, we talk with Professor Craig Harline (Brigham Young University) about his recent research and how to start on a new research project. Craig Harline's most recent book is A World Ablaze: The Rise of Martin Luther and the Birth of the Reformation (OUP). He is the also author of numerous other books, including Miracles at the Jesus Oak and A Bishop's Tale: Mathias Hovius Among His Flock in Seventeenth-Century Flanders.

In this episode we speak with Professor David Maxwell (University of Cambridge) about his research on African Christianity, the advantages of visiting fellowships, and how to get editorial experience in academia. To read more about David Maxwell's research, see his latest book, entitled ⁠Religious Entanglements.  Central African Pentecostalism, the creation of cultural knowledge, and the making of the Luba Katanga⁠ (2022).

In this episode, we talk with Professor Alexandra Walsham (Cambridge) about her recent research, how to prepare for the job market after doing a PhD, and how to write an impactful academic article. Alexandra Walsham's most recent book Generations: Age, Ancestry and Memory in the English Reformations is now available from Oxford University Press.

In this episode, we speak to Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch on everything from the importance of church history to how he chooses the subjects for his books, his thoughts on Tudor mania, and even how he really feels about Thomas Cromwell. Dairmaid MacCulloch is Emeritus Professor of the History of the Church at Oxford University. He is a prize-winning author, with such book as History of Christianity: the first three thousand years (2010) , which won the Cundill Prize; Silence: A Christian History (2013); All Things New: Writings on the Reformation (2016); and Thomas Cromwell: A Life (2018). He was knighted in the UK New Year's Honours List of 2012 and was awarded the Historical Association's Medlicott Medal in 2023. 

In this episode we speak with Dr David Parry (University of Exeter). Dr Parry's research focuses on early modern Puritan writers. In this episode, he speaks to us about his current project entitled ‘Writing Religious Conflict and Community in Exeter 1500–1750' (ReConEx) and gives advice for early career researchers on how to become part of a large-scale project in academia. You can learn more about Dr Parry's research in his recent book, The Rhetoric of Conversion in English Puritan Writing from Perkins to Milton.

In this episode, Prof Katy Cubitt describes what it's like to be president of a learned society and the importance of becoming an active member of societies for early career researchers. If you would like to join the EHS council, please email Dr Jacqueline Rose for more information at jer9@st-andrews.ac.uk by 5 July 2023.

In this episode, we chat with Professor Mary Heimann (Cardiff University) on tips for public speaking and academic publishing. Professor Heimann is a Professor of Modern History, with particular expertise in Czechoslovakia, English Catholicism and Communist-Catholic relations during the Cold War. She founded and currently directs Cardiff's ⁠Central and East European Research Centre⁠ and ⁠Czechoslovak Special Collection⁠. You can read more about her research in her publications: Catholic Devotion in Victorian England (Oxford University Press), ‘Christianity in Western Europe from the Enlightenment', in A World History of Christianity, and Czechoslovakia: The State That Failed (Yale University Press).

In this episode Dr Caroline Bowden (QMUL) joins us to discuss her project, 'Who Were the Nuns?' and gives advice on incorporating large databases into humanities projects. To learn more about the project, visit: https://wwtn.history.qmul.ac.uk/ Reading list for more about the history of English nuns in exile: The English Convents in Exile, 1600-1800: Communities, Culture and Identity, edited by Caroline Bowden and James Kelly, Farnham, Ashgate, 2013.  English Convents in Catholic Europe, c. 1600-1800, by James E. Kelly, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2020.

In this podcast, Dr Stewart McCain discusses his recent article which discusses the Academic celtique and their reconceptualising of the ancient Celts. The work of the Academic celtique, he suggests, shows the complexities of French nation-building projects through debates about popular culture in France.

Episode 3. In this episode we are joined by Dr James Kelly (Durham University) to talk about how to organise academic conferences.

This episode of 'Talking with Religious Historians' features Dr Christopher Langley, a Staff Tutor in History with the Open University. In this episode, Dr Langley speaks about his work as the Co-Director on the project 'Mapping the Scottish Reformation: A database of the Scottish clergy, 1560-1689'. He shares his advice for academics wanting to incorporate digital elements into their research projects.

In this interview with Dr Francis Young we discuss his monograph (released in March 2022), 'Magic in Merlins' Realm: A History of Occult Politics in Britain'. We discuss the historical intersection between magic and religion and their simultaneous entanglement with politics.

Our inaugural episode of 'Talking with Religious Historians' features Dr Emily Michelson, a Senior Lecturer at the University of St Andrews. In this episode, Dr Michelson speaks about her career as a religious historian and gives advice on how to publish in academia.

In this episode, we chat with Lynneth Miller-Renberg about gendered conceptions of dance within parish churches in late medieval and early modern England. This topic is discussed in more detail in her upcoming monograph: 'Women, Dance and Parish Religion in England 1300-1640'.

In this episode we discuss Robert's upcoming article in the SCH volume 58 – on sickness experienced by clergyman in the 17th century. This article, which won the ‘President's Prize' for 2020/21 homes in on the significant role which illness played in the pulpit performance of post-Reformation preachers in England.

This podcast discusses the upcoming biography on Ebenezer Howard which will form part of the OUP's ‘Spiritual Lives' series. Renowned for his prominent role in the ‘Garden City Movement', we discuss how this biography will uncover his religious roots and inspiration.

In this interview we discuss Dr Eilish Gregory's recent monograph 'Catholics During the English Revolution, 1642-1660: Sequestration and Loyalty'. A topic of which there has been a dearth of material is explored masterfully by Eilish, as we discuss the treasure-trove of insight this period affords those interested in Catholic culture, theology, and history.

In this interview, Dr Jacob Phillips shares his research from his book chapter Service in Perfect Freedom: The Precious Gift of the Caroline Divines found in 'The Anglican Patrimony in Catholic Communion'. This chapter reflects on theological dimensions of Anglican culture in the 17th century.

In this interview, we talk to Rev. Dr Robert Evans about his upcoming book (the culmination of his PhD research) which focuses on the value of history in the Carolingian world.

In this episode, we discuss John's recently edited volume 'Jonathan Edwards within the Enlightenment: Controversy, Experience & Thought'. Much of the discussion focuses on his contributed chapter which discusses Edwards and his views on slavery.

In this interview we discuss Carmen's latest book: Catholic Nuns and Sisters in a Secular age: Britain, 1945-90 - looking at the experience & identity in the post-War era.

In this interview we explore the 'chosen peoples' motif as it is noted in early medieval western thought and experience.

In this interview, we talk to Dr Reuben Loffman about his EHS Prize short-listed monograph on the Congo. With this research, Dr Loffman investigates the relationship between Church and State in the colonial empire.

An interview with Dr Geraldine Vaughan talking about her upcoming monograph on Anti-Catholicism in Imperial Britain. We discuss the historical actors involves in anti-Catholicism and the contexts of anti-Catholicism in Britain.

In this episode, we interview Dr Gareth Atkins about his monograph 'Converting Britannia' published in 2019. Shortlisted for the EHS prize, this monograph analyses public religion in the 'Age of Wilberforce'.

In this episode, we discuss Professor Tingle's latest monograph 'Sacred Journeys in the Counter Reformation' which analyses the devotional experience of pilgrimages in the Catholic Reformation.

In this episode, we discuss Emma's recent research on the Reformation Era as she interrogates sensory experience amongst Protestant groups, noting how this compares with Catholic counterparts, and - furthermore - how it fuelled actions of iconoclasm.

Naomi Pullin was shortlisted for the EHS prize in 2019, for her first monograph 'Female Friends and the Making of Transatlantic Quakerism 1650-1750. During this podcast episode, Naomi discusses research that arose from this monograph, and further research she has been undertaking on Quaker women and maternity. An article is shortly forthcoming called 'Motherhood and Domestic Authority in British and Colonial Quakerism'.

In this third episode of our EHS podcast we talk to Rosamond McKitterick about the Liber Pontificalis. The Liber Pontificalis (book of Pontiffs) is elucuidates for listeners. Key to the discussion in this podcast is how this text contributes to a people's (re)construction, knowledge and use of the past. This research manifests in Rosamond's lastest publication: Rome and the invention of the papacy: the Liber pontificalis.

In this interview with Dr Chris Langley and Dr Michelle Brock, we discuss their on-going project 'Mapping the Scottish Reformation' : a forthcoming database which will offer a first port of call and, hopefully, a catalyst for understanding and linking the lives of clerics in the early modern period. Mikki and Chris share their enthusiasm about this project, suggest how it might be used by researchers and hobbyists, and undcover some interesting themes they have discovered.

Alec Ryrie discusses his latest publication - Unbelievers: An Emotional History of Doubt. Much attention is given to the perceptions of medicine in the medieval and early modern period, with a special treat as he reads from one of his primary sources demonstrating contemporary views.