About
Kenneth Graham is a Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Waterloo, where he has been a faculty member since 2001. His academic work bridges literature and history, focusing on the intersections of religion, politics, and education during the Renaissance and Protestant Reformation. Graham has taught over three dozen courses on Shakespeare and English Renaissance poetry, drawing from his extensive experience at institutions like UC Berkeley, the University of Alberta, and Dalhousie University.
- Education: PhD (Berkeley), MA (Toronto), BA (Alberta)
His research explores how early modern literary forms interacted with theological and disciplinary structures. He has authored two major books: The Performance of Conviction (1994) and Disciplinary Measures from the Metrical Psalm to Milton (2016). Graham also co-edited Shakespeare and Religious Change (2009) and Shakespeare On Stage and Off (2019).
Graham’s recent work examines Shakespeare’s rhetoric and its ties to religious conviction, with articles published in Shakespeare Quarterly, Religion and Literature, and the Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics. His scholarship spans Renaissance poetry, religious history, and global Shakespeare reception, including analyses of postcolonial adaptations.
Scientific Awards:
- National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship
- Huntington Library Fellowship
- Kaplan Postdoctoral Fellowship
Graham supervises graduate students in Renaissance & Reformation literature, Shakespeare, Milton, and rhetorical theory. He co-organizes the Shakespearean Theatre Conference, a collaboration between the University of Waterloo and the Stratford Festival, and contributes to editorial projects like the Oxford edition of George Herbert’s Complete Works.
