Catherine Conybeare

Catherine Conybeare is the Leslie Clark Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Greek, Latin, and Classical Studies at Bryn Mawr College. She has been a faculty member at Bryn Mawr since 2002, contributing significantly to the fields of Classics, particularly Latin studies and Late Antiquity.

Her research centers on late antiquity, with a special focus on the writings of Augustine of Hippo. Professor Conybeare has written four monographs, including The Irrational Augustine (2006) and The Laughter of Sarah (2013), and has published over eighty articles and reviews on topics such as aurality, touch, violence, and the self. Her upcoming monograph, Augustine the African, is scheduled for publication in 2025. She has recently initiated a book series on 'cultures of Latin over the longue durée' with Cambridge University Press.

Professor Conybeare's teaching spans from Cicero and Lucretius to Abelard and Petrarch, reflecting her broad expertise in classical and medieval texts. Her scholarly work demonstrates deep engagement with Augustine's thought while exploring connections between classical literature, theology, and contemporary concerns, particularly in areas such as emotional history, spiritual identity, and the materiality of texts.

Her recent publications reveal a growing interest in Augustine's African context, his relationship to biblical interpretation, and his conceptualization of exile and spiritual alienation. These works form part of a broader scholarly trend examining the geographical and cultural contexts of late antique thought.

• Guggenheim Foundation fellowship
• American Council of Learned Societies fellowship
• NEH fellowship

Professor Conybeare's academic journey began with Classics studies at Oxford followed by Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto, where she earned her Ph.D. Her work bridges classical scholarship with theological inquiry, particularly through the lens of Augustine's writings, demonstrating how classical philology and theological interpretation remain deeply entangled disciplines.