معرفی
Simon Ditchfield is a Professor of Early Modern History at the University of York, renowned for his expertise in the intersection of urban and religious culture in the Italian peninsula (1300-1800). He has held significant roles, including Chair of the Departmental Research Committee, and is a co-editor of the Sacro/santo book series. His research explores the making of Roman Catholicism as a global religion, with a focus on Jesuit missions and Counter-Reformation dynamics.
- Education: BA (York), MPhil/PhD (Warburg Institute), Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (1998-)
- Projects: Conversion Narratives in Early Modern Europe (AHRC 2010-13), Papacy and People: The Making of Roman Catholicism as a World Religion (OUP), and Daniello Bartoli SJ and Global History (Leverhulme Fellow 2014-15)
Simon’s research spans global Catholicism, hagiography, and missionary networks, as evidenced by his 2024 article Exemplary Lives in the Making of a World Religion and 2023 Appropriation and Agency in Roman Catholicism. His work often critiques traditional narratives of Trent and emphasizes cross-cultural exchanges, particularly in Jesuit missions across Persia, New France, and the Asia-Pacific. He has received prestigious fellowships, including a British Academy Research Leave Fellowship (2006-08) and a Leverhulme Fellowship (2014-15).
- Scientific Awards: Roland Bainton Prize (2020), Accademia Ambrosiana (1998-), FRHistS (1998-)
- Editorial Roles: Advisory editor for Catholic Historical Review, Archivum Societatem Societatis Iesu, Church History, and Archivum historiae pontificiae
He supervises doctoral research on topics like Domestic Religion in Florence, Sacred History in Brittany/Wales, and Music in the English Catholic Community. His leadership includes directing the Heritage Studies as Applied History project (1996-99) and co-editing the Companion to Early Modern Rome (2019), which won the Roland Bainton Prize.
