Amanda L. Scott

Amanda L. Scott is an Associate Professor of History and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Pennsylvania State University. She previously taught at the U.S. Naval Academy before joining PSU in 2019. Her research focuses on early modern Iberian history, particularly the Basque Country and Spanish Empire, with expertise in women’s religious roles, Counter-Reformation dynamics, and local religious institutions.

Her academic work includes a monograph The Basque Seroras (Cornell 2020), exploring uncloistered religious women who challenged traditional gender norms. Key articles analyze clerical misbehavior in Tridentine Spain and the resilience of local religious practices against centralizing reforms. Her research has been supported by grants from the Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation, CLIR-Mellon, and others.

Research interests span late medieval/early modern Europe, witchcraft, inquisition, and monasticism. She also examines the intersection of gender, power, and religious authority in early modern communities. Current projects include a book on poverty and exile in Iberian contexts.

Prof. Scott’s work bridges social history and religious studies, emphasizing how local communities negotiated broader reform agendas. She actively uses archival sources like diocesan records to uncover grassroots religious practices.