The Faculty of Theology and Religion is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Colin Donnelly as Associate Professor of Reformation and Early Modern Christianities.
Dr Donnelly returns to Oxford with a strong academic pedigree and a rich body of research on the Reformation, the history of universities, and early modern European thought. His work has consistently foregrounded figures and ideas at the margins of historical narratives, offering fresh insights into the complexity and diversity of early modern Christianity.
Reflecting on his appointment, Dr Donnelly commented:
‘I am honoured and delighted to be returning to Oxford. It is where my love of early modern Christianity was first sparked and boasts an extraordinary community of scholars and students of both the Reformation and the wider early modern world. I look forward to embracing the challenge of this appointment.’
Dr Donnelly completed his undergraduate and master’s degrees at Oxford, before undertaking doctoral research at Durham University. His PhD re-examined a formative group of English reformers at Cambridge, challenging the notion that they neatly prefigured the later English Protestant tradition. Most recently, he has held academic posts at the University of Limerick and Virginia Theological Seminary, where his research expanded to include the role of theological debate in shaping early modern understandings of the soul and the afterlife.
Professor Mark Edwards, Chair of the Faculty Board, warmly welcomed the appointment:
‘Oxford figured in some important episodes of the English Reformation and the English Civil War; it has also been home to many distinguished historians of these events. The post to which we welcome Dr Colin Donnelly is the linchpin of our teaching of Ecclesiastical History in the Faculty of Theology and Religion, and we are confident that he will bring to it new insights, fresh approaches and rich communicative skills.’
We look forward to welcoming Dr Donnelly to the Faculty and to the distinctive contributions he will bring to our teaching and research community.
