Alana Harris

Dr Alana Harris is a Reader in Modern British Social, Cultural, and Gender History at King’s College London, serving as Director of the Department of Liberal Arts. She holds a doctorate from the University of Oxford and has taught at the University of Oxford before joining King’s in 2015. Her academic roles include Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy, Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and Honorary Fellowships with the Centre for Catholic Studies (Durham) and the University of Divinity (Melbourne).

Education: B.A./LL.B. (Melbourne University) with majors in Medieval and Renaissance History, followed by a doctorate in Modern British History at Oxford. Her research focuses on gender, religion, and cultural identity in modern Britain, particularly through lenses of sexuality, ethnicity, and material culture.

Research interests span religious identities (post)secularisation, gender and feminism, London’s social history, and the intersection of history with anthropology and theology. She has published extensively on topics like Catholicism in 20th-century Britain, the Second Vatican Council, and the role of art in historical narratives. Recent work addresses child sexual abuse in religious institutions and global Catholic history.

Public engagement includes collaborations with Somerset House, BBC productions, and exhibitions at the London Science Gallery. She has contributed to BBC radio programs and newspapers like The Guardian, exploring themes such as queer London history and anti-racism activism.

Awards include King’s Education Awards (2017, 2019) and recognition for teaching excellence. Her books include *Faith in the Family* (2016) and *Sink or Swim: Catholicism in Sixties Britain* (2020). She co-edits volumes on British Catholic history and serves on editorial boards for journals like *Ecclesiology* and *British Catholic History*.

Her work bridges academia and public sphere, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches and creative collaborations to engage broader audiences with historical research.