Professor Richard English - God and Terror: An Unholy History?

Join authors and friends for a celebratory lecture in honour of the McGill-Queen's Studies in the History of Religion Series. Our keynote speaker, Professor Richard English, will present a lecture, "God and Terror: An Unholy History", which will be followed by a reception and the chance to reconnect with old friends.

The McGill-Queen's University Press Studies in the History of Religion book series was founded in 1988 by the late George Rawlyk with the advice of Fr. Edward Jackman and the generous support of the Jackman Foundation. The series is edited by Dr. Donald Akenson, Queen's Department of History. Learn more about the series.

Registration for this event is not required.

God and Terror: An Unholy History?

Religious terrorism dominates headlines across the world. How great a threat does it pose? How can we explain the emergence and prominence of this kind of violence? Above all, how can we best respond to the challenge that it represents? 

Richard English Biography

Richard English is Professor of Politics at Queen's University Belfast, where he is also Distinguished Professorial Fellow in the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice, and the university's Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Internationalization and Engagement. 

Between 2011 and 2016 he was Wardlaw Professor of Politics in the School of International Relations, and Director of the Handa Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence (CSTPV), at the University of St Andrews. 

He is the author of eight books, including the award-winning studies Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA (2003) and Irish Freedom: The History of Nationalism in Ireland (2006).  His most recent book, Does Terrorism Work? A History was published in 2016 by Oxford University Press.  He is also the co-editor/editor of a further six books and has published more than fifty journal articles and book chapters. 

He is a frequent media commentator on terrorism and political violence, and on Irish politics and history, including work for the BBC, CNN, ITN, SKY NEWS, NPR, RTE, the Irish Times, the Times Literary Supplement, Newsweek, the Guardian, and the Financial Times. 

He is a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA), a Member of the Royal Irish Academy (MRIA), a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE), a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (FRHistS), an Honorary Fellow of Keble College Oxford, and an Honorary Professor at the University of St Andrews.  He has delivered invited Lectures about his research in over twenty countries.

Public Lecture - registration is not required