J. Michael Raley

J. Michael Raley is a Professor of History at Hanover College, where he has been a faculty member since 2013. He previously taught at Alma College, Wake Forest University, Northeastern Illinois University, and the University of Chicago. At Hanover College, he served as History Department chair from 2015-2018 and is currently the 2021-22 Immediate Past President of the Indiana Association of Historians.

His educational background includes:

• B.M. from Belmont College (now University)
• M.M. from The University of Louisville
• M.A. from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
• D.M.A. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
• Ph.D. from The University of Chicago

Professor Raley specializes in the legal, social, gender, and cultural history of late medieval and early modern Europe, with particular focus on the evolution of rights theory, especially freedom of religion and association. He also researches the history of the American Midwest during the nineteenth century. His teaching portfolio includes World Civilizations to 1500, The Modern West, Africa in World History, The History of Human Rights, Tudor & Stuart England, Life in the Medieval World, The West: Ancient to Medieval, The Crusades, and The Vikings.

His scholarly output shows a consistent focus on the intersection of religious history, rights theory, and cultural developments from the medieval through early modern periods, with a secondary interest in American religious and social history. His work often examines marginalized groups and the evolution of their rights within religious and political structures.

Professor Raley has received recognition for his scholarship, including the 2004 Ruth Murray Memorial Essay Prize in Gender Studies from The University of Chicago.

Beyond academia, Professor Raley has a rich musical background, having enjoyed a brief career as an orchestral musician in Germany and with the Louisville Orchestra. He continues to perform as principal trombonist with the Louisville Philharmonia Orchestra and with the Commonwealth Brass Band. He is also an ordained Baptist minister and trained church musician. His personal interests include gardening, restoring his historic home, hunting, fishing, and running.