Professor David Collins Explores Medieval Religion and Magic in New Book

Posted in Announcements

Dr. David Collins, professor of History and an affiliated faculty member with the Global Medieval Studies Program, published The Sacred and the Sinister: Studies in Medieval Religion and Magic this past year.

The book, a collection of essays, dives into medieval religion and magic, exploring their contradictions and ambiguities. It investigates devotional practices, the cult of the saints, and the overlaps of religion, magic, and science, featuring contributions by Michael D. Bailey, Kristi Woodward Bain, Maeve B. Callan, Elizabeth Casteen, Claire Fanger, Sean L. Field, Anne M. Koenig, Katelyn Mesler, and Sophie Page.

“Collins’s volume showcases the original work being done by leading scholars in the field,” writes Dr. Catherine Rider, of the University of Exeter. “It should stimulate new work on the relationship between holiness and unholiness in the Middle Ages.”

The Sacred and the Sinister is available now with Penn State University Press. Read more about the work.