Joseph George Akl

Joseph George Akl is a Lecturer in the Department of History at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, University of Montreal, and a PhD candidate supervised by Gordon Blennemann (University of Montreal) and Alison More (University of Toronto). His academic work centers on medieval religious history with emphasis on Western Europe and socio-religious dynamics.

His educational qualifications include:

• MA in History (2023) from the University of Toronto
• LL.B. in Law (2019) from the University of Montreal
• BA in History (2014) from McGill University

Dr. Akl's research investigates the creation, circulation, and reception of vitae of lay religious women (mulieres religiosae) from 13th-century Belgium and the Netherlands within England from the 13th to 16th centuries. His expertise spans medieval religious orders, Christian history, 14th-century socio-religious practices, and the material culture of devotion, particularly focusing on non-cloistered religious women in the Low Countries.

His conference presentations reveal consistent thematic focus on devotional objects, hagiotoponymy (saint-derived place names), and the spatial practices of religious women. This work integrates history, religious studies, and medieval geography, demonstrating how material culture and sacred topography shaped religious experiences beyond traditional cloisters.

He actively contributes to the research collective "The Other Sister: Non-Cloistered Religious Women 1100-1800", fostering interdisciplinary collaboration on religious women's communities outside monastic enclosures.