Mary Heimann

Professor Mary Heimann is a leading scholar of modern European history, specializing in Czechoslovakia, Cold War dynamics, and religious history. She holds a Chair of Modern History at Cardiff University's School of History, Archaeology and Religion. Her research bridges religious and political analysis, focusing on topics such as Communist-Catholic relations, Cold War-era religious suppression, and the collapse of Czechoslovakia. Notable works include Catholic Devotion in Victorian England (Oxford UP, 1995) and Czechoslovakia: The State That Failed (Yale UP, 2011), which became a bestseller in the Czech Republic and influenced policy discussions at NATO. She founded Cardiff's Central and East European Research Centre and directs the Czechoslovak Special Collection.

Education: BA (History/English) from Vassar College (1987), MA and DPhil (Modern History) from Magdalen College, Oxford (1993). Pre-Cardiff roles include Senior Lecturer at Strathclyde University and Research Editor for the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

Research interests emphasize recovering historical 'foreign cultures' to understand past mentalities. Current projects include a book on Cold War-era Bible smuggling and revisiting the 1989 Velvet Revolution through witness testimonies. Her work has been showcased at international festivals and adopted into policy frameworks.

Award-winning educator, she designed modules like 'Czechoslovakia: The Twentieth Century in Miniature' and pioneered immersive teaching methods like role-playing diplomatic simulations. Supervised over 20 postgraduate theses, including studies on political trials and religious mysticism in 19th-century Britain.

Professional memberships include the Royal Historical Society, British Association for Slavonic Studies, and editorial roles at English Historical Review and British Catholic History.