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Ronald E Hutton is Professor of History in the Department of History (Historical Studies) at the University of Bristol, specializing in Early Modern Studies. He is a member of the 'Medieval and Early Modern Cluster' at Bristol and holds multiple prestigious fellowships including FBA (Fellow of the British Academy), FLSW (Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales), FSA (Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries), and FRHistS (Fellow of the Royal Historical Society). Hutton is a leading authority on the history of the British Isles in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, ancient and medieval paganism and magic, and the global context of witchcraft beliefs. He is recognized as the foremost historian of the ritual year in Britain and of modern paganism. His research interests span the political and religious history of the British Isles (1560-1690), seasonal festivals of the British Isles, and themes in the history of paganism, witchcraft and magic from prehistory to the present. Hutton's extensive publication record includes 142 research outputs comprising 85 journal articles, 29 book chapters, 19 authored books, and 5 conference contributions. His work demonstrates consistent focus on witchcraft, paganism, religious traditions, and British cultural history, with recent publications examining topics like the Wild Hunt legend, pagan survivals in Christianity, and Welsh political and religious history during the revolutionary period. Fellowship of the British Academy (2013) Fellowship of the Learned Society of Wales (2011) Hutton currently supervises twenty-two research students, fifteen of whom are working toward PhD degrees, and welcomes new research proposals in his areas of expertise. His activities include extensive conference participation (15 conference appearances), invited talks (8), advisory work, public talks, and media engagement. He previously led the research project 'THE IMAGE OF THE DRUID IN BRITAIN 1500-2000' (2003-2006) as Principal Investigator.

• Early Modern British History
• Paganism Studies
• Witchcraft History
• +4 more

Adam Hollowell is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Program in Education at Duke University, where he also serves as Senior Research Associate at the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity and Director of the Inequality Studies Minor. His teaching spans ethics, inequality studies, and history across Duke’s Kenan Institute for Ethics, Sanford School of Public Policy, and Department of History. Hollowell holds a Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh (2009). His research focuses on inequality, higher education, public policy, and ethics, with notable work on pandemic impacts, telemedicine in education, and reproductive health access during crises. In Inequality Studies , Hollowell emphasizes understanding policies to drive social change, as highlighted in recent media coverage. His publications explore topics like student behavior shifts during the pandemic, telemedicine adoption in universities, and James Baldwin’s ethical challenges. He is a finalist for the Judith Deckers Prize (2024). Professionally, Hollowell leads projects such as Bass Connections on college contraception access and Story+ initiatives. His work bridges academia and public engagement, addressing systemic inequities through interdisciplinary approaches.

• Inequality Studies
• Higher Education
• Public Policy
• +3 more

Emily C. Bartels is a Professor of English at Rutgers University specializing in early modern literature and culture, with particular expertise in Shakespearean and non-Shakespearean drama. She has served as director, and is now dean, of the Middlebury Bread Loaf School of English since 2010, a summer Master's program designed for K-12 English teachers. Professor Bartels received her BA from Yale University and both her MA and PhD from Harvard University. Her academic background positioned her to become a leading scholar in Renaissance literature studies. Her research examines questions of race, cross-cultural relations, gender, genre, and performance in early modern English drama. Professor Bartels is renowned for her groundbreaking work on Shakespeare's Othello and Christopher Marlowe's plays, analyzing how these texts represent cultural and racial difference. She has significantly contributed to postcolonial approaches to early modern literature, revealing how English drama engaged with global encounters and representations of the 'other' during the Renaissance period. Her scholarship demonstrates how early modern writers both reflected and shaped contemporary attitudes toward difference, particularly regarding race, religion, and national identity. Professor Bartels' publications reveal a consistent scholarly trajectory examining racial and cultural representation in early modern England. Her work spans from detailed analyses of specific plays like Hamlet and Julius Caesar to broader studies of how England conceptualized Africa and non-Christian cultures during the Renaissance. A recurring theme throughout her career is the analysis of how early English drama both reflected and shaped contemporary attitudes toward difference, particularly regarding race, religion, and national identity. Roma Gill Prize for Best Work on Christopher Marlowe (1993-94) for Spectacles of Strangeness: Imperialism, Alienation, and Marlowe Board of Trustees Fellowship for Scholarly Excellence (1993) School of Arts and Sciences Award for Distinguished Contributors to Undergraduate Education (2008 & 1993) Warren I. Susman Award for Excellence in Teaching (2008) Solmsen Fellowship at the Institute of Research in the Humanities, University of Wisconsin (1995) Black Atlantic Project fellowship from the Rutgers Center for Historical Analysis Professor Bartels has demonstrated exceptional commitment to both research and teaching excellence. She has developed innovative courses exploring the intersections of literature, history, and cultural studies, including undergraduate seminars on Othello and Hamlet, and graduate courses on Shakespeare Page and Stage. Her administrative role as dean of the Middlebury Bread Loaf School of English demonstrates her commitment to education beyond traditional university settings. Her fellowships from prestigious institutions indicate successful grant acquisition throughout her distinguished career. Professor Bartels has been actively involved with the Shakespeare Association of America and has collaborated with international scholars like Emma Smith of the University of Oxford. Her work has positioned her at the forefront of conversations about early modern literature, race studies, and postcolonial approaches to Renaissance drama, influencing how scholars understand the intersections of literature, race, and cultural identity in the early modern period.

• Early Modern Literature
• Shakespeare Studies
• Christopher Marlowe Studies
• +3 more

Bettina Sejbjerg Sommer serves as a Research Assistant and External Lecturer at the SAXO-Institute within the Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen, specializing in interdisciplinary humanities research. Her scholarly focus integrates Archaeology , Norse Mythology , and Scandinavian History , with emphasis on material culture analysis and mythological narratives in pre-Christian Scandinavia. This is exemplified by her examination of ritual sites like Lejre through combined ethnological and historical methodologies. Her publication output centers on a single 2015 study in Numen investigating Óðinn's archaeological correlates, reflecting concentrated expertise in Germanic religious studies rather than broad interdisciplinary trends. No scientific awards or student mentorship activities are documented in available records.

• Archaeology
• Norse Mythology
• History
• +3 more

Alessandro Bausi is a Full Professor of Ethiopian Studies at Sapienza University of Rome since November 2023, where he focuses on Ethiopic language, literature, and manuscript cultures. Prior to this, he served as a Professor for Ethiopian Studies at the University of Hamburg (2009–2023) and held academic roles at the University of Naples 'L’Orientale' and Addis Ababa University. MA (1988, University of Florence) PhD (1992, Naples Oriental Institute) His research spans Ethiopian textual and manuscript cultures, Aksumite history, textual criticism, hagiography, and Semitic studies. He has led major projects like TraCES and Beta maṣāḥǝft , emphasizing linguistic evolution and manuscript digitization. He is a member of prestigious academies including the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei (foreign member since 2023), Academia Europaea, and the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences. His editorial roles include editing Aethiopica and the Encyclopaedia Aethiopica .

• Ethiopian Studies
• Eritrean Studies
• Ethiopic Philology and Literature
• +11 more

Dorothy Kim serves as Assistant Professor of English at Brandeis University with cross-appointments in the Department of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies and the Women's Studies Research Center. Her innovative scholarship bridges medieval literary studies, digital humanities, and critical race theory, examining how medieval history is weaponized by contemporary white supremacist movements and advocating for antiracist frameworks in academia. She earned her Ph.D. and M.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles and her B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley. Her educational trajectory reflects deep engagement with interdisciplinary approaches to literature and cultural studies. Kim's research centers on exposing the racialized foundations of medieval studies, particularly through projects analyzing digital white supremacy and medievalism's role in alt-right ideology. She pioneers methodologies connecting medieval women's literary cultures with contemporary trans feminism while interrogating Jewish/Christian difference in manuscript studies. Her work consistently challenges the field's historical whiteness and develops decolonial digital humanities practices. Her publication trends reveal a decisive shift toward critical race interventions in premodern studies, with increasing focus on database methodologies, sonic histories, and the material politics of medieval manuscript transmission. Recent works demonstrate how digital tools can either reinforce or dismantle racial hierarchies in academic knowledge production. Her distinguished honors include: 2023 Medieval Academy of America Article Prize in Critical Race Studies American Studies Association Digital Humanities Book Prize (2021) Society for Medieval Feminist Scholarship's Best Feminist Article Award (2021) AAUW Postdoctoral Fellowship (2018-2019) Folger Shakespeare Library Long-Term Fellowship (2025-2026) SSHRC, Ford Foundation, Fulbright, and Mellon fellowships Kim directs major collaborative projects including the NEH-funded An Archive of Early Middle English (161-manuscript database) and co-leads the Global Middle Ages Project. As co-director of RaceB4Race and the Reckonings Institute, she creates platforms for community archiving and social justice praxis. Her mentorship focuses on training students in critical digital methodologies through Brandeis' DH Lab while developing antifascist frameworks for humanities education. She currently leads the Brandeis University DH Lab housing her NEH project, co-edits Literature Compass's pre-1800 section, and develops two major book projects: Race, the Crusades, and the Katherine Group (based on her AAUW fellowship) and Music, Multimodal Manuscripts, and Remediating the Medieval Lyric for ArcPress.

• Medieval Literature
• Digital Humanities
• Critical Race Studies
• +6 more

Shigehiro Oishi is the Marshall Field IV Professor of Psychology at the University of Chicago, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2023). He holds a B.A. from International Christian University (Tokyo), Ed.M. from Columbia University, and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Prior to UChicago, he taught at the University of Minnesota (2000–2004), Columbia University (2018–2020), and the University of Virginia (2004–2018; 2020–2022). His research explores culture, social ecology, and well-being, focusing on questions like “What is a good life?” and how socio-ecological factors like income inequality and residential mobility impact well-being across cultures. His lab uses diverse data sources, including surveys, GIS, and experimental methods. Key awards include the 2017 Society of Experimental Social Psychology Career Trajectory Award, the 2018 Carol and Ed Diener Award, and the 2021 Outstanding Achievement Award for Advancing Cultural Psychology. His work bridges psychology, sociology, and cultural studies, with a global focus on understanding human thriving. The Oishi Lab at UChicago continues this mission, welcoming new Ph.D. students and hosting prominent social psychology talks.

• Culture
• Social Ecology
• Well-being
• +3 more

Professor Max Deeg is a leading scholar in Buddhist Studies at Cardiff University , holding a personal chair since 2009. With a career spanning institutions in Germany, Austria, and the UK, his research focuses on transcultural Buddhist history from India to East Asia, Chinese Buddhist travelogues , and interreligious encounters in medieval China. He has held visiting positions at universities in Japan, Nepal, the US, and Germany, and currently directs the Centre for the History of Religion in Asia (CHRA) . PhD from University of Würzburg (1990) Dr. phil. habil. in Religious Studies (1998) Full Professor at University of Vienna (2002-2006) His research explores Buddhist narratives as tools for constructing religious identity, foundation myths in trans-Himalayan contexts, and terminology evolution in Chinese Buddhist translations. Recent publications analyze Indian Buddhist monasticism through Chinese sources and religious concepts like xin (trust) across Buddhist, Manichaean, and Christian traditions. Awarded the KHK Visiting Research Fellowship (2016) and a DAAD Scholarship (1986-87) , Prof Deeg contributes to editorial boards of major journals. He supervises PhD students and teaches Buddhist Studies , Life of the Buddha , and Chinese Buddhist Texts .

• Transcultural Buddhist History
• Spread of Buddhism in Asia
• Buddhist Narratives
• +7 more

Bernard (Ben) Arps is Professor of Indonesian and Javanese Language and Culture at Leiden University's Institute for Area Studies within the Faculty of Humanities. His research focuses on the interface of humanities and humanistic social sciences, particularly examining how language, performance, texts, and media contribute to 'worldmaking' - the processes through which people and institutions shape realities for themselves and others. Geographically centered on Southeast Asia with a core focus on Indonesia and the Malay world, Arps specializes in Java and its diasporas. His scholarly interests include religious encounters (particularly between Islam and local vernacular traditions), philological theory as applied to performance and new media, narrativity in song and audio media, and the theoretical foundations of area studies. Arps has conducted extensive fieldwork in Indonesia since 1979, totaling over four years, primarily in Central and Eastern Java regions including Surakarta, Yogyakarta, Banyuwangi, and Cilacap. His current book projects explore the Quest narrative pattern across religious traditions (focusing on Dewa Ruci), the sociopolitical formation of languages through media and performance (using Osing in Banyuwangi as a case study), and the Asian Muslim epic of Amir Hamza. Arps teaches primarily in Leiden's BA programme in South and Southeast Asian Studies, BA in International Studies, and MA programme in Asian Studies. Former chair of the Department of Languages and Cultures of Southeast Asia and Oceania (1995, 1999/2000, 2003-2006, 2008) Previously taught at School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (1988-1993) Held visiting positions at NIAS (2001/02), ANU (2005), University of Michigan (2006/07), NUS/ARI (2011/12), UNS (2017), and IIAS (2018/19) Arps has supervised doctoral, Master's, and Bachelor's dissertations across Indonesian, Malay, Singapore, Cambodian, and Thai studies, with particular expertise in Javanese, Sundanese, Betawi, Balinese, Sasak, Mentawai, and Minangkabau cultures and languages. His work spans religion, performance, media, literature, sociolinguistics, lexicography, and education.

• Southeast Asian Studies
• Indonesian Language and Culture
• Javanese Language and Culture
• +9 more

Laurie Shannon is the Franklyn Bliss Snyder Professor of English at Northwestern University, with a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. She studies English literature and culture in the long sixteenth century, focusing on the history of ideas in language, stakeholdership, embodiment, and cross-species relations. She serves as convener of The Anne Lister Society and is collaborating with Oxford University Press on a scholarly edition of Anne Lister’s Journal. Education: J.D., Harvard Law School; Ph.D., University of Chicago Shannon’s research explores the political imagination in early modern literature, particularly through friendship (Sovereign Amity: Figures of Friendship in Shakespearean Contexts) and animal studies (The Accommodated Animal: Cosmopolity in Shakespearean Locales). Her current monograph, 'Frailty’s Name: Shakespeare and the Natural History of Human Being,' examines human negative exceptionalism in Renaissance thought and its implications for climate crisis ethics. Her publications span Shakespeare studies, queer theory, environmental humanities, and textual editing. Notable awards include the Elizabeth Dietz Memorial Award, Robert B. Cox Teaching Award, and Dean’s Award for Graduate Mentoring. She has held NEH, ACLS, and Guggenheim fellowships. Scientific Awards: Elizabeth Dietz Memorial Award, Robert B. Cox Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award, Dean's Award for Graduate Mentoring, NEH Fellowship, ACLS Fellowship, Guggenheim Fellowship Shannon contributes to the Anne Lister Diary Transcription Project and has served as English Department Chair at Northwestern. Her recent articles focus on Shakespeare’s engagement with natural history, queer cosmology, and animal sovereignty, reflecting her interdisciplinary approach.

• Early Modern Literature
• Gender & Sexuality Studies
• Environmental Humanities
• +5 more

William Kennedy is a Professor in the English Department at the University at Albany, State University of New York. For over 40 years, he has crafted a body of literature centered on Albany, New York, creating what is known as the "Albany Cycle" of novels. His work has established Albany as a significant place in American literature, comparable to Joyce's Dublin and Bellow's Chicago. His educational background includes a BA from Siena College, following attendance at Public School 20 and Christian Brother's Academy. Professor Kennedy's creative work focuses on American fiction, particularly historical and urban narratives rooted in Albany's cultural and political landscape. His writing explores machine politics, family sagas, and the interplay between individual lives and historical events, rendering Albany's "outcasts and machine politicians, lowlifes and swells" with profound humanity. His narratives transform the city into a mythic capital of national memory. His publications consistently draw from Albany's history, with recurring themes of political corruption, redemption, and the resilience of marginalized communities. The "Albany Cycle" demonstrates his mastery in blending local history with universal human struggles across multiple literary forms. William Kennedy's distinguished honors include: John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellowship Election to the American Academy of Arts and Letters National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship Regents Medal of Excellence from SUNY Governor's Arts Award Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters in France Election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences As an educator, Kennedy taught creative writing and journalism at the University at Albany from 1974-1982 and Cornell University in 1982-83. His MacArthur Fellowship directly funded the creation of the New York State Writers Institute at Albany, with matching funds from the university and legislative support from Governor Cuomo. He has served on the New York State Council for the Humanities board and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. William Kennedy co-founded the New York State Writers Institute in 1984, which has grown into a major literary hub conducting statewide cultural and educational activities. The Institute remains central to his legacy, fostering literary arts through readings, workshops, and educational programs across New York.

• Fiction
• Creative Writing
• American Literature
• +2 more

Georges Kostakiotis is a Senior Lecturer at the National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilisations (INALCO) in Paris, France, specializing in Modern Greek language and literature. His academic appointment falls under CNU Section 15, covering Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Hebrew and other languages and literature. He serves as Head of the TEMPO course for Modern Greek and teaches across multiple levels from L1 through L3, including text study, written and oral practice of Greek, Modern Greek thematic courses, specialized Greek text corpora, and technical translation at M1 and M2 levels. Dr. Kostakiotis's research focuses on the intersection of language pedagogy and literary studies. He investigates teaching oral communication from both practical and theoretical perspectives, examining how literary texts function as effective pedagogical tools in foreign language classrooms. His work develops specialized strategies for teaching Greek to Latin-speaking audiences, leveraging linguistic connections while addressing acquisition challenges. Additionally, he explores literary representations of politics and urban worlds, situating Greek literature within broader European and Balkan contexts through the CREE (Centre de Recherches Euro-Méditerranéennes et Euro-asiatiques) research center. Analysis of Dr. Kostakiotis's publication record from 2009-2024 reveals consistent scholarly engagement with Greek literature's relationship to Balkan cultures and historical contexts. His work demonstrates particular interest in how Greek literature addresses themes of foreignness, crisis, and identity through comparative analysis with other Balkan literary traditions. His research spans pedagogical approaches to language teaching, literary analysis of Greek texts, historical examinations of Greek literature, and cultural studies of Greek communities in the Balkans. Dr. Kostakiotis has been instrumental in organizing numerous academic events that bridge language pedagogy and literary scholarship. He has coordinated multiple conferences and study days focused on language teaching methodology, including sessions on oral communication techniques, vocabulary acquisition strategies, and assessment approaches. In the realm of literature and cultural studies, he has organized scholarly gatherings examining Greek-Romanian relations, Phanariote history, women's perspectives in Greek literature, and urban studies with particular attention to cities like Thessaloniki and Alexandria. His collaborative work, including co-edited volumes on Greek-Romanian relations, demonstrates his commitment to fostering academic dialogue across national and disciplinary boundaries.

• Teaching oral communication
• Literary text as pedagogical teaching tool
• Strategies for teaching Greek to Latin-speaking audiences
• +5 more

Mohsen Goudarzi is an Associate Professor of Islamic Studies at Harvard Divinity School (HDS), part of Harvard University. He joined the faculty in 2021 after teaching at the University of Minnesota. His academic background includes a PhD from Harvard University and an MA from Stanford University. His research focuses on the Qur’an and early Islamic history, employing literary, linguistic, comparative, and historical approaches. Key interests include the Qur’an’s role in Late Antique religious developments, Islamic exegetical traditions (tafsīr), and theological frameworks (kalām). His current projects explore the Qur’anic worldview’s interpretation and the significance of Meccan cultic rituals to early Islamic identity. He has received teaching excellence awards, including a certificate from the University of Minnesota’s Center for Educational Innovation and three teaching distinctions from Harvard’s Office of Undergraduate Education. Research outputs include groundbreaking articles on Qur’anic exegesis, cultic practices, and interreligious dynamics. Notable works analyze the Qur’an’s engagement with Abrahamic traditions, ritual practices in Mecca, and the textual history of early Islamic manuscripts. His collaborative work on the Ṣan‘ā’1 codex redefined understandings of early Qur’anic canonization. Teaching spans HDS and Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS), covering Islamic studies, Qur’anic studies, and religious history. He advises students in HDS programs and contributes to interdisciplinary initiatives at the intersection of theology, history, and textual criticism.

• Qur'anic Studies
• Early Islamic History
• Late Antiquity Religious Developments
• +4 more

Prof. Dr. Eva Spies is a Professor for the Study of Religion with Focus on Africa at the University of Bayreuth within the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences . She holds a PhD in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Mainz and leads the Research Section Moralities in the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence (EXC 2052). Key Roles : Principal Investigator, Bayreuth International Graduate School of African Studies (BIGSAS) Vice Dean of Research Co-founder, German Association for the Study of Religion's Africa working group Research Interests span religious plurality, development cooperation, and transformative practices. She coined the concept of religious engineering to analyze how religious resources shape social/political worlds. Regional expertise in Niger/West Africa and Madagascar/Indian Ocean , with focus on: South-South mission Religion and pandemic response Intercultural hermeneutics Epistemological conflicts Material culture in development Projects : Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence (2025): "Religious engineering. The making of moralities, development and religion in Niger" Humboldt Research Hub (2021): "Fighting pandemics with religion?" (with Moi University and University of Zimbabwe) Education : PhD in Cultural Anthropology, University of Mainz

• Religious plurality
• Contemporary Christianity in Africa
• Religion and development cooperation
• +9 more

Dr. Sebastian Rimestad is a Research Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Religions , University of Leipzig. His work focuses on Orthodox Christianity, religious history of Eastern and Northern Europe, religious conversion, religion and politics in modern societies, and religious minorities in Europe. Current affiliation: University of Leipzig Education: Habilitation (2019), PhD (2011), MA in Religious Studies (2007) and Politics & IR (2004) Research interests include confessional identity formation in 18th-century Poland-Lithuania, religious conversion as political statement, and Russian Orthodox concepts of secularity. His work analyzes how religious identities have been shaped by external authorities and critiques of religious modernity. His scientific awards include the DFG Heisenberg Fellowship and Liselotte Kirchner Scholarship. He has taught courses on religious conversion and published extensively on Orthodox Christianity in Eastern Europe, Baltic states, and global contexts.

• Orthodox Christianity
• Religious History of Eastern and Northern Europe
• Religious Conversion
• +2 more