Ecclesiastical History Society

On this episode, we're joined by Andrew R. Holmes, Professor of History at Queen’s University Belfast. Specialising in the history of religion in Ireland from the seventeenth century to the present, Andrew has authored significant works, including his most recent contribution is co-editing The Oxford Handbook of Religion in Modern Ireland (2024) with Gladys Ganiel, a comprehensive volume exploring the evolution of religious life in Ireland.

In this episode, we speak with Regius Professor of Divinity David Fergusson (University of Cambridge) about his research on Christian doctrine, theological ethics, and the history of Reformed theology, particularly within the Scottish context. David is the author of many works, including his latest book Reformed Humanism: Essays on Christian Doctrine, Philosophy, and Church (Bloomsbury, 2024)

In this episode, we are honoured to speak with Mary Laven, Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Jesus College. Mary is widely known for her influential work on the social and religious history of early modern Europe, particularly Italy. Her most recent book, co-authored with Abigail Brundin and Deborah Howard, The Sacred Home in Renaissance Italy, was the result of a four-year Synergy Grant, funded by the European Research Council.Mary currently leads another interdisciplinary project ItalianROSE—'Italian Renaissance Objects and Spaces of Encounter'—which investigates the complex interdependencies underpinning the cultural production of the Italian Renaissance.

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.