معرفی
Dr. Helen Birkett is a Senior Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Exeter, specializing in 12th-13th century British and Irish history with particular emphasis on monasticism, hagiography, and medieval communication networks. She holds a PhD from the University of York (2009) and has held postdoctoral fellowships at the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies (Toronto) and the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (Edinburgh). Her research explores how news and information were transmitted in the Middle Ages, focusing on Cistercian Order networks and textual construction. She is co-lead on the 'Section 28 and its afterlives' oral history project addressing social justice themes.
Her academic career includes roles such as External Examiner for the University of Southampton's MA programs and peer review activities. Notable publications include her monograph *The Saints’ Lives of Jocelin of Furness* (2010) and articles on medieval news systems. She has been recognized as a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
Birkett's research supervision spans topics like medieval religious culture, text creation, and communication studies. She actively engages with media and public history initiatives through the University of Exeter's Press Office, offering expertise in medieval history modules reform and interdisciplinary historical methodologies.
Her current research projects investigate medieval news dissemination mechanisms and the practical operations of Cistercian communication systems, alongside the socio-political legacy of Section 28. She maintains affiliations with Exeter's Heritage @Exeter network and collaborates widely across academic institutions.
