Lectures put spotlight on mobility in Christianity
A leading Cambridge historian will deliver this year’s Gifford lecture series, exploring motion and emotion in early modern Christian history.
Professor Alexandra Walsham – 1930 Professor of Modern History and a Fellow of Emmanuel College at the University of Cambridge – will present a series of six public lectures at the University of Edinburgh in May.
The lectures, titled "Religious Movements: Motion and Emotion in Early Modern Christian History," will take place between Monday 12 and Thursday 22 May 2025.
On Wednesday 21 May, Professor Walsham will also take part in a panel discussion for the annual Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) Gifford seminar.
Tickets for all events are free and can be purchased via the University's and RSE's websites.
Professor Walsham's lectures will delve into the relationship between physical and emotional actions in the context of the theological, social, and cultural upheavals associated with the Reformations.
Ranging across the period between 1500 and 1800, the lectures will explore how different experiences shaped Christian religious movements during the early modern period.
Prof Walsham’s research centres on the religious and cultural history of early modern Britain and she has published extensively in this field.
A Fellow of the British Academy since 2009, Prof Walsham was appointed a CBE for services to History in 2017.
Professor Alexandra Walsham
She served as editor of the journal Past and Present for a decade and is currently President of the Historical Association.
Acclaimed lectures
The Gifford Lectures were established in 1887 under Adam Lord Gifford, a Senator of the College of Justice.
The lecture series, held at leading universities across Scotland, have served as a platform for renowned scholars and great minds to explore the intersections of religion, science, philosophy, and ethics.
Previous speakers have included philosopher and former US presidential candidate, Dr Cornel West, Professor Dr Agustín Fuentes, and English scholar of Ancient Rome and trustee of the British Museum, Professor Mary Beard.
