Grateful for Jim Beckford (1942-2022)

A Prominent British Sociologist of Religion, James A. Beckford passed away last week.

Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of Warwick, he leaves a great legacy. President of the Association for the Sociology of Religion (1988-89), of the International Society for the Sociology of Religion (1999-2003), he taught also in France as a visiting professor, first at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS, 2001), then at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (EPHE, 2004). Many French scholars working on the field of religion will miss him greatly. His research legacy remains and will inspire the coming generations.

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History of French Baptist Churches, a video serie to follow

Did you know that Baptist chiurches started in France before they started in Texas ?

If you master just a little bit of French, please try to follow this video, which is the first of a serie of short History videos retracing the long story of Baptist Churches in France from 1810 to 1950 (based upon a PhD).

 

Evangelical missionary & accusations of souperism in Ireland

Good news ! Under the title of "Education, Famine, and Conversion: Evangelical missionary strategies and accusations of souperism in Ireland, 1800-1853", Karina Wendling (PSL / EPHE, GSRL) completed her PhD.

It will be defended on the 13th of June, 2022.

Professors Peter Gray and Patrick Cabanel directed the thesis.

In the particular context of Protestant Ascendancy, Catholics perceived Protestant charity during the Great Irish Famine (1845-51) not as genuine relief but as Souperism - or the bribing of souls. This thesis comes within the framework of preceding research that has focused on the cultural and political implications of this fight for souls and examines overlooked aspects of the context in which these accusations appeared to better understand how missionary strategies disrupted the religious territoriality in a time of growing Irish nationalism.

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