SOAS University of London

Centre of World Christianity

Members

Co-Chairs

Dr Erica Hunter

Dr Jörg Haustein

T H Barrett
T H Barrett
History of Chinese religion, notably Taoism and Buddhism; pre-modern Chinese history, especially the Tang period
William Gervase Clarence-Smith
William Gervase Clarence-Smith
History of Islam, sexuality, diasporas, slavery, stimulants, rubber, livestock and textiles, with special reference to Maritime South East Asia
  • Tel: +44 (0)20 7898 4608
  • Email: wc2@soas.ac.uk
  • Room: 313
  • Office Hours: Tuesdays 3-4pm
Lucia Dolce
Lucia Dolce
Japanese religious history, especially the medieval period; Japanese Tantric Buddhism and the esotericisation of religious practice; Millenarian writings and prophecy; Kami-Buddhas associations
  • Tel: 020 7898 4217
  • Email: ld16@soas.ac.uk
  • Room: 342
  • On Sabbatical:All year 2015/16
Paul Gifford
Paul Gifford
Christianity; recent developments in African Christianity; the socio-political role of religion in Africa Socio-political role of Christianity in Africa; Africa's new charismatic churches
Jörg Haustein
Jörg Haustein

Pentecostalism in Africa and worldwide, Christianity in Ethiopia; Christian missions in Africa; Islam in Africa, esp. East Africa; colonialism and religions in Africa, post-colonial and post-structuralist philosophy.

Catherine Hezser
Catherine Hezser

Judaism in Hellenistic and Roman times; rabbinic literature; social history of Jews in late antiquity; American Jewish history and literature, Jewish identity, gender studies

  • Tel: +44 (0)20 7898 4633
  • Email: ch12@soas.ac.uk
  • Room: 335
  • Office Hours: Tuesdays 10-11am & Thursdays 10-11am
Almut Hintze
Almut Hintze

Professor Hintze takes an interest in all aspects of Zoroastrianism, the religion of pre-Islamic Iran.

  • Tel: 020 7898 4598
  • Email: ah69@soas.ac.uk
  • Room: 334
  • Office Hours: Tuesdays 12-1pm (and by Appointment)
Erica Hunter
Co-Chair, Centre of World Christianities
Erica Hunter

Eastern Christianity; Syriac Christianity in the Middle East, with particular reference to Iraq; Syriac Christianity in medieval Central Asia and China

  • Tel: 020 7898 4663
  • Email: eh9@soas.ac.uk
  • Room: 333
  • Office Hours: By Email Appointment
Marloes Janson
Marloes Janson

Anthropology of religion, religious reform (Islam and Pentecostalism), transnational religious networks (Tabligh Jamaʻat), faith-based development, urban anthropology, popular culture, gender, youth, West Africa (the Gambia, Senegal and Nigeria)

  • Tel: +44 (0)20 7898 4345
  • Email: mj19@soas.ac.uk
  • Room: 502
  • Office Hours: Tuesdays 1-3pm room 502
Michael Jennings
Michael Jennings

Politics, governance, and civil society in sub-Saharan Africa; non-governmental organisations; faith and development; history of development processes and interventions; issues in international health and non-state actors in health delivery.

  • Tel: +44(0) 207 898 4268
  • Email: mj10@soas.ac.uk
  • Room: 261
  • Office Hours: By appointment only
Hugh N Kennedy
Hugh N Kennedy

Medieval history of Arabic-speaking lands.

  • Tel: +44(0)20 7898 4251
  • Email: hk1@soas.ac.uk
  • Room: 436
  • Office Hours: Tues.2.30-3.30/Thurs.11.30-12.30/Email appointment
Lars Laamann
Lars Laamann

Popular religions in early modern China (16th-20th cc); Christianity in china (18th-20th cc); Opium and other narcotics (18th-20th cc); Manchu history (16th-20th cc)

  • Tel: 020 7898 4634
  • Email: ll10@soas.ac.uk
  • Room: 323
  • Office Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 10am-12pm
David Mosse
David Mosse
India, especially Tamil Nadu and adivasi western India; caste and religion, dalit politics, vernacular Christianity, environmental history, common property resources, indigenous irrigation, participatory rural development, aid agencies, anthropology of development
  • Tel: 020 7898 4426
  • Email: dm21@soas.ac.uk
  • Room: 573
  • Office Hours: Mondays 9-11am by e-mail appointment
Antonello Palumbo
Staff Silhouette

Ideological history of pre-modern China; Chinese religions, notably Taoism and Buddhism; history of the Buddhist canon in China; Manichaeism and Iranian influences in medieval China; Chinese cultural relations with Central Asia

  • Tel: 020 7898 4768
  • Email: ap47@soas.ac.uk
  • Room: 345
  • Office Hours: Fridays 2-4pm
Richard Reid
Richard Reid

Warfare in Eastern Africa; Politics of the Horn

  • Tel: +44 (0)20 7898 4774
  • Email: rr15@soas.ac.uk
  • Room: 322
  • Office Hours: Thursday 12pm -1.30pm
Tania Tribe
Tania Tribe
Painting in Africa and the Americas; theory of art with special reference to Northeastern Africa
  • Tel: 020 7898 4462
  • Email: tt10@soas.ac.uk
  • Room: B406
  • Office Hours: Tuesdays 4-5pm

Visiting Scholars

Natalia Zawiejska
Visiting Scholar
Natalia Zawiejska

Evangelical communities in Angola and the Angolan diaspora, globalization and transnationalization of religion, religion in the Lusophone world, Angolan Pentecostal churches in London

Research Associates

Confidence Worlanyo Bansah
Research Associate
Confidence Worlanyo Bansah

West Africa Missionary Church History, Pentecostalism and Charismatic Christianity in Africa, New Religious Movements in Africa, Religion in African Diaspora, Religion and Development in Africa, African Traditional Religion(s), Christian Doctrine and contemporary ecclesiological issues in African Christianity

Joanne Davis
Research Associate
Joanne Davis

Reverend Tiyo Soga, African Theology, African Biblical Hermeneutics, Liberation theology

External Members

Joel Cabrita
Affiliate Staff
Staff Silhouette

History of Christianity in Southern Africa in the late modern period; African Christianity in its global and diasporic context

John Healey
Affiliate Staff
John Healey

Syriac-speaking Christianity, especially its earlier history and its emergence from the Aramaic-speaking environment of the Roman/Byzantine Near East; the development of the Syriac scripts and language; early contacts between Syriac Christians and Muslims; other religious minorities in the Middle East (Jews, Mandaeans, Gnostics); the present situation of the Middle East Christians; Syriac liturgy. In addition, Professor Healey has worked extensively in the early alphabet, Hebrew Bible, Nabataea and Palmyra.

David Maxwell
Affiliate Staff
Staff Silhouette

African Christianity; mission history in colonial and post-colonial settings; the religious encounter of Christianity with African traditional religion; indigenous African Christian movements; Pentecostalism, transnationalism and religious globalisation

Kevin Ward
Affiliate Staff
Staff Silhouette

Protestant Christian cooperation in colonial Kenya;  history and spirituality of the East African Revival movement; church-state relations in Uganda.